Concurrent Enrollment and Financial Aid
Concurrent enrollment is when you are enrolled at another institution during the same term that you are enrolled at NIU. You must apply for concurrent enrollment approval at your major college office. Hours must transfer towards the student's NIU degree.
Students maybe eligible to receive financial aid at NIU while concurrently enrolled at another institution. Financial aid does not cover audit hours or remedial coursework.
Required Documents
- Paid receipt for registration paid at the other school itemizing classes and tuition paid.
- Form from NIU's Office of Registration and Records confirming that the classes from the other school where classes are being taken will transfer towards your degree at NIU.
- Please send all required documents to:
Student Financial Aid Office
Swen Parson Hall 245
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
Enrollment Guidelines
Certain programs are affected by concurrent enrollment. Please see below for the specific programs and their enrollment guidelines:
- Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG): Student must be enrolled in at least 12 hours per semester
- Federal Pell Grant: Semester awards are based on full-time (12 or more credit hours), three-quarter time (9-11 credit hours), half-time (6-8 credit hours) or less than half-time (1-5 credit hours) of total enrollment.
- Federal Perkins Loan: Students must be enrolled for at least 12 credit hours per semester at NIU.
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG): Students must be enrolled for at least 12 credit hours at NIU per semester.
- Illinois State Monetary Award Program (MAP): Awards are based on total hours enrolled per semester: 15 credit hours for a full award or the award is pro-rated based on the total number of hours a student is enrolled.
- Tuition and fees must be paid at the other school.
- NIU will bill the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) for the MAP payment based on hours and charges from both schools.
- When NIU receives the MAP payment from ISAC, the appropriate funds will be forwarded to the other school (if the award is more than the tuition and fees at NIU), that school would issue a refund if necessay.
- National SMART Grant: Students must be enrolled in at least 12 credits hours per semester.
- Federal Direct Loan Program (Stafford Loan and PLUS): Students must be enrolled for 6 credit hours per semester at NIU.
- Concurrent enrollment documents are not needed
- Credit hours from other schools cannot be combined with NIU hours.
