At Student Financial Advising Services, we educate and advise students and families. We don't make any decisions about your financial aid or process payments. We answer questions and connect you with other campus resources when needed. For example, we can connect you with an expert in the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office to discuss your FAFSA or financial aid eligibility. Or, we can connect you with a specialist in the Office of the Bursar for information about bills and payments.
Our checklist for undergraduate students has information on all the tasks related to financial aid and your student account.
Your OneCard is your official NIU identification card. You'll use it to:
You can also access your Huskie Bucks account with your OneCard. Huskie Bucks is a pre-paid debit account you can use to make purchases on campus and in the community. You can use Huskie Bucks for on- and off-campus dining, printing, doing laundry and more.
Yes, our financial advisors can meet with you and your family members. Schedule a virtual appointment in English or Spanish.
Our financial advisors can help you create a multiyear financial plan. To get started, email us at financial-advising@niu.edu or make a virtual appointment.
As an NIU student, you have free access to GradReady. This interactive website has tools and information to help you learn about paying for college, creating a budget, loan repayment and much more.
At NIU, financial advising is a service that supplements the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office and Office of the Bursar by educating students and families about the costs of an NIU education and how your financial aid applies to those costs. Student Financial Advising Services offers one-on-one appointments with a financial advisor to answer questions, connect you with campus experts and resources and help you to develop a multi-year financial plan. To learn more or to make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/index.shtml.
Financial Advisors can answer questions about your financial aid and account statement, as well as provide information about NIU scholarships, help you create a budget or develop a long-term financial plan. Financial Advisors can also help you navigate the complicated financial processes at NIU and refer you to other campus resources or staff experts who may be able to assist with special circumstances. To learn more or to make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/.
Financial Advisors can refer you to resources and opportunities for university and private scholarships and provide information and tips to assist you. However, students are expected to pursue those opportunities on their own. To schedule a meeting with a Financial Advisor, follow this link: https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/.
Financial Advisors can provide information about the differences between direct and private loans. They can also refer you to resources available on the NIU web site related to private loans. However, Financial Advisors do not make recommendations about private loans. Students are required to research and pursue private loan options on their own. To schedule a meeting with a Financial Advisor, follow this link: https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/.
Yes. As part of financial education, Financial Advisors can assist you in reviewing your income and expenses to help you design a realistic budget. We also have online educational resources through our GradReady modules that can assist you with this process. To learn more or to make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/index.shtml.
Financial Advisors can explain what Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) means and talk with you about the process for completing a SAP appeal. However, students are expected to complete the appeals process independently and work with their academic advisor to complete all of the required elements of the appeal. To learn more or to make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/index.shtml.
Yes. Financial Advisors can help explain your student account and identify how your financial aid applies to your charges. They can also answer questions related to payment plans and late payment fees. However, Financial Advisors do not take or process payments, make billing adjustments or issue refunds. For specific billing information or questions about your account, please visit https://www.niu.edu/bursar/index.shtml.
Financial Advisors can provide information about federal work study and campus employment. They can also refer you to the resources available to assist you find a job on campus. However, Financial Advisors do not directly assist students in securing campus employment. For an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please follow this link: https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/.
Financial Advisors can help explain your financial aid award and student account. They can also discuss loan options available to you, explain the annual scholarship process for current students and help you create a budget to manage expenses. In addition, Financial Advisors can refer you to resources on campus that may be available to assist with special needs and circumstances. However, Financial Advisors do not make any decisions about financial aid, scholarships, emergency aid or student accounts. To schedule an appointment discuss your personal situation, please go to: https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/.
Yes, a Financial Advisor can assist with questions about loan options and can refer you to an expert in the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office for unique questions and circumstances. To make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/.
Yes. Student Financial Advising Services supports all NIU students. To make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/.
Yes. Student Financial Advising Services supports all NIU students. To make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/.
Yes. Yes. Student Financial Advising Services supports prospective and admitted students, as well as all current NIU students. To make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/.
You can make a virtual appointment through the Student Financial Advising Services web page, https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/. You can select a day and time that are convenient for you. You will receive an email reminder 24 hours before the appointment and you can choose to receive a text reminder one hour in advance.
Yes, students can schedule a financial advising appointment with a Spanish speaking Financial Advisor. Parents and guardians are welcome to participate in those conversations. Please visit https://enroll.niu.edu/portal/spanfinaidappts to schedule your appointment.
Yes, you can provide permission for a parent or guardian to join the conversation. We also encourage students to use Shared Access to delegate individuals who can have access to protected information. For more information about Shared Access, please visit https://www.niu.edu/registration-records/_pdf/shared-access/Delegates_Shared_Access.pdf.
Yes. The appointment schedule includes some late afternoon and early evening appointments during the week. Saturday appointments are available periodically throughout the month. To learn more or to make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/index.shtml.
We encourage you to take advantage of all the resources available to assist you, especially if you still have questions. Student Financial Advising Services offers one-on-one appointments with a financial advisor to help you understand the costs of an NIU education and how your financial aid applies to those costs. We will work with you to develop a multi-year financial plan. To learn more or to make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/index.shtml.
No. Unlike academic advisors, students are not assigned a financial advisor. Rather, students may make an appointment to meet with any of the Financial Advisors on staff. To learn more or to make an appointment with a Financial Advisor, please visit: https://www.niu.edu/financial-advising/index.shtml.
Log in to MyNIU. Click on the Financial Aid tile and choose the academic year you want to view. The Financial Aid and Scholarship Office can help you understand your financial aid offer.
Contact us financial-advising@niu.edu. Our financial advisors will answer your questions or connect you with someone who can. You can also read our frequently asked questions about financial aid.
Yes, the counselors at the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office can answer your questions about the FAFSA or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid. Contact them at finaid@niu.edu or 815-753-1395.
Other resources include FAFSA Contact Center at Federal Student Aid and the Alternative Application Contact Center at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission
If you're a dependent student, you must include information about your parent(s) on the FAFSA. If they don't have a social security Number, they'll enter all zeros in that field. They'll need to print the signature page and mail it to FAFSA.
Yes, undocumented students are eligible for merit scholarships based on high school or transfer GPA. In addition, if you're an Illinois resident, you can submit an Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid to be considered for state and NIU need-based grants. However, undocumented students aren't eligible for federal grants or federal student loans.
Undocumented Student Support also has many great resources.
International students are not eligible to complete a FAFSA or Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid, however, International Student and Scholar Services awards scholarships to incoming first-year and transfer international students.
The Graduate School provides international graduate students with information on costs and funding opportunities for graduate school.
Contact us at financial-advising@niu.edu, and we'll connect you with an expert.
The Office of the Bursar provides instructions on viewing your account statement in MyNIU. The Term Account Detail section in MyNIU is also helpful. It shows your charges and any pending or disbursed financial aid.
Financial aid is disbursed, or applied to, your student account charges after the second week of classes. If you owe more than your aid will cover, a bill will be generated at that time. The Office of the Bursar sets payment due dates.
If you can't pay your bill, you'll be charged a monthly 1.08% late fee on the remaining charges. Read our payment policy for more information.
You won't be able to register for classes if your account balance is too high. In general, your account balance must be less than $500 in order to register for the next semester. But remember, any unpaid balance will receive a late fee each month.
There are several options to explore:
Financial aid is usually disbursed, or applied to, your student account charges after the second week of classes. There are several reasons your financial aid may not have paid your charges as expected:
All students enrolled in nine or more on-campus hours are automatically enrolled in the Student Health Insurance plan. If you have other health insurance that meets the requirements, you can opt out of this program. You must opt out each year. The deadline is usually in early September. If you don't opt out of the program, you'll be responsible for the charges, whether you use the benefits or not.
The book charge program allows you to charge books to your student account, up to $700 each semester. From shortly before each semester begins through the second week of classes, you can use your NIU OneCard to buy books at Huskies Books and Gear. The charges will be placed on your student account and become part of the amount you owe the university. If you have enough financial aid, your aid can pay for the books you purchased. If you don't have enough financial aid, the book charges will be added to your bill. You're responsible for paying for your books, whether it's with your financial aid or an out-of-pocket payment.
Your loan servicer will mail or email you information about the repayment process. You can also go to the Manage Loans section of the Federal Student Aid site and sign in with your FSA ID and password.
In addition, NIU has partnered with Ascendium Education Solutions to help you navigate loan repayment. Ascendium is a trusted partner, and their student loan success coaches are available at no cost to you! Call them at 833-707-1220 or email repaymentsupport@ascendiumeducation.org.
Deferred payments are processed by NIU’s Third Party Billing. If you work at a company that agrees to pay for your tuition and/or fees, Third Party Billing must be notified at thirdpartybilling@niu.edu.
Each sponsor must send NIU a letter, list, voucher, or other form of verification of support before being accepted in the deferred payment program. The verification document should include:
A voucher is needed for each semester that you will be attending NIU. Verification should be received prior to the start of each semester. The preferred method is to email the voucher to thirdpartybilling@niu.edu.
A personal letter from the student is NOT acceptable as proof of sponsorship. However, a copy of a letter to the student from their sponsor will be considered as proper verification.
If the company says they will not make a payment for the invoice until the grades are provided, you will not qualify for the deferred payment through NIU. The company must agree to pay NIU without any stipulations.Visit New Students: Getting Started for help with your Z-ID, password and student email.
Be sure to check MyNIU often for tasks that require your attention, as well as your student email account. This is how NIU departments and professors will communicate with you.
When you make an appointment, you’ll receive a confirmation with an appointment link. On the day and time of your appointment, click on "Join the Appointment" found within the email. You can also email us at financial-advising@niu.edu to let us know you're having trouble. We can try to connect with you in a different way.
Student Financial Advising Services
financial-advising@niu.edu