Next Steps

Accepting Your Award

You are not required to officially accept your offer of assistance. We assume that you accept the entire aid package unless you specifically notify us that you wish to decline all, or part, of the award. Please pay close attention to the language contained in your financial aid award letter as it will provide important information about the paperwork and processes that are necessary to obtain certain sources of financial aid.

Declining Your Award

Should you decide to reduce or decline any part of your award, please send your request via your Northeastern email account to [email protected]. In your email request, include the following information:

• Your name
• Student NU ID
• The award type and amount you wish to reduce or cancel

If you wish to cancel or reduce a loan, you must specify if you wish to cancel it for a specific semester or for the length of the academic year. Please note that federal loans may only be cancelled on a student’s behalf up to 14 days after disbursement.

Reporting Outside Assistance

If you will be receiving any forms of assistance not listed on your offer (such as a scholarship from an outside organization), you need to notify us of this additional resource.

Sibling Enrollment Verification

Your financial aid award is based on the information provided on your financial aid application materials. If you submitted your enrollment deposit and indicated on your FAFSA and/or CSS Profile that another member of your household will be enrolled at least half time in post-secondary education during the academic year, you will be asked to complete a Sibling Enrollment Verification Form to verify your sibling’s enrollment. This form will be sent to you via email in early August and requires verification from the institution your sibling(s) attends.

Change in Circumstance

If you or your family has experienced a change in financial circumstances, such as loss of income, significant out of pocket medical/dental expenses or separation/divorce, since filing your FAFSA and/or CSS Profile, please let us know. Once we have information about this change, we can let you know the process for filing an official appeal. For additional information, please see our Change in Financial Circumstances review policy.

Comparing Your Awards

When comparing financial aid awards you will want to examine not only the total award amount, but also the net cost of attendance for each school after financial aid. Make sure to differentiate between grant aid (that does not have to be repaid) and loans. Some financial aid awards also include a parent loan; Northeastern aid packages do not. Costs should also be compared based on the educational experiences and outcomes you can expect to receive from each school.

Aid Disbursements

Most aid is disbursed for in-class terms during which you will be assessed tuition charges. Exceptions include the Federal Direct Loan, Federal Pell Grant, and state grants.

View additional information regarding financial aid eligibility and policies.

Reduction in Enrollment

Your offer of assistance is based on the expectation that you will be a full-time student (at least 12 credit hours). A reduction to your courseload may result in a reduction or cancellation of your aid.

Changes in Pattern of Attendance

If you change your planned enrollment, your financial aid may need to be adjusted. For example, a change from an in-school term to a co-op term would require a redisbursement of aid.

Change in Circumstance

If you or your family has experienced a change in financial circumstances, such as loss of income, significant out of pocket medical/dental expenses or separation/divorce, since filing your FAFSA, please let us know. Once we have information about this change, we can let you know the process for filing an official appeal. For additional information, please see our Change in Financial Circumstances review policy.

Aid Disbursements

Most aid is disbursed for in-class terms during which you will be assessed tuition charges. Exceptions include the Federal Direct Loan, Federal Pell Grant, and state grants.

View additional information regarding financial aid eligibility and policies.

If selected for verification, documentation may be required from students and/or parents who are listed on the FAFSA. Please only submit the documents requested; required documents will be listed on your myNortheastern or requested in writing by our office.

Please note, you may be asked to submit additional documentation along with the items listed below.

If you filed a U.S. Tax Return

• Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to update your FAFSA with the appropriate income and tax information or
• Submit a copy of your IRS Tax Return Transcript

If you did not file a U.S. Tax Return or foreign tax return

• Submit the Non-Filer Tax Statement
• Submit copies of all W-2s, if applicable, for income earned by the non-filer
• Request an IRS Verification of Non-Filing Letter for each individual who did not file a tax return (beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year)

If you filed an amended tax return

• Submit a signed copy of the 1040-X form that was filed with the IRS and
• An IRS Tax Return Transcript that includes information from the original tax return

Note: if you amended your tax return (filed a 1040-X), you will not be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

Instructions to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool are provided while completing the FAFSA or filing a correction. Certain data elements such as AGI and taxes paid will be entered for you on the FAFSA.

Students and parents are strongly encouraged to use this option when initially completing the FAFSA or when making a correction after the required tax returns have been filed.

In order to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, you must have:

• Filed a federal tax return at least 2 weeks (if filing electronically) or 6-8 weeks (if filing a paper return) before using the IRS Data Retrieval Process to allow time for the IRS to process the return
• You must have a valid Social Security Number
• You must have a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID)

You will not be able to use the IRS Data Retrieval process if:

• Your marital status changes after December 31 of the same tax year
• You filed married filing separately
• You filed an amended return
• You filed a foreign tax return

An official IRS Tax Return Transcript will be required for tax filers who are not able to use the IRS Data Retrieval process or make changes to FAFSA data after using this process.

Note: Tax filers should not request to have their IRS Tax Return Transcript mailed directly to Northeastern University as it may not contain the necessary identifying student information.

Tax Return Transcripts can be requested, free of charge, in one of the following three ways:

Online Request

• Go to the IRS website.
• Click “Get Transcript ONLINE”.
• New users will need to create an account using:
  • Their Social Security Number or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN)
  • Date of birth
  • Street address as used on the tax return
  • Zip code
• A password will be sent to the user directly. Once logged in, select the reason for requesting the transcript as “Higher Education/Student Aid” then select tax year ‘2018’ (do not select record of account transcript).
• Your tax return transcript will appear as a PDF. If you have pop-ups disabled, you may need to enable them for the IRS website to view your transcript.
• If the “Get Transcript by MAIL” option is selected, tax payers will need to enter the tax filer’s Social Security Number, date of birth, street address, and zip or postal code. If successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Tax Return Transcript at the address included in their online request within 5-10 business days from the time the request was successfully transmitted to the IRS.

IRS Tax Return Transcripts requested online cannot be sent directly to a third party by the IRS.

Telephone Request

• Call the IRS at 1.800.908.9946.
• Tax filers must follow prompts to enter their Social Security Number and the numbers in their street address. Generally, this will be the address listed on the latest tax return filed. However, if an address change has been completed through the U.S. Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
• Select ‘Option 2’ to request an IRS Tax Return Transcript and then enter ‘2018’.
• If successfully validated, tax filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Tax Return Transcript at the address used in their telephone request, within 5-10 days from the time the IRS receives the request.

IRS Tax Return Transcripts requested by telephone cannot be sent directly to a third party by the IRS.

Paper Request Form

• IRS Form 4506T-EZ should be used instead of IRS Form 4506-T because it is sufficient to request an IRS Tax Return Transcript.
• Download the form.
• Complete lines 1 through 4, following the instructions on page 2 of the form. Note that line 3 should be the most current address on file with the IRS. It is the address where the IRS Tax Return Transcript will be sent. If the address has recently changed, include the address listed on the latest tax return filed on line 4. However, if an address change has been completed through the U.S. Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
• Line 5 provides tax filers with the option to have their IRS Tax Return Transcript mailed directly to a third party by the IRS.
• On line 6, enter ‘2018’ to receive IRS tax information for the 2018 tax year that is required for the 2020-2021 FAFSA.
• The tax filers (or spouse if requesting information from a joint tax return) must sign and date the form and enter their telephone number. Only one signature is required to request a transcript for a joint return.
• Mail or fax the completed IRS Form 4506T-EZ to the appropriate address or fax number provided on page 2 of the form.
• Tax filers can expect to receive their transcript within 5 to 10 days from the time the IRS receives and processes their signed request. Note: processing form 4506T-EZ means verifying and validating the information provided on the form. If any information does not match the IRS records, the IRS will notify the tax filer that it was not able to provide the transcript.

An IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter provides proof that the IRS has no record of a filed Form 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ for the year you requested.

IRS Verification of Non-filing Letters can be requested, free of charge, in one of the following three ways:

Online Request

• Go to the IRS website.
• Click “Get Transcript ONLINE”.
• New users will need to create an account using:
  • Their Social Security Number or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN)
  • Date of birth
  • Street address as used on the tax return
  • Zip code
• A password will be sent to the user directly. Once logged in, select the reason for requesting the transcript as “Higher Education/Student Aid.”
• Click on the tax year needed under “Verification of Non-filing Letter.” For the 2020-2021 academic year, you will need the 2018 tax year.

IRS Verification of Non-filing Letters requested online cannot be sent directly to a third party by the IRS.

Telephone Request

• Call the IRS at 1.800.908.9946.
• Non-filers must follow prompts to enter their Social Security Number and the numbers in their street address. Generally, this will be the address listed on the latest tax return filed. However, if an address change has been completed through the U.S. Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
• Select ‘Option 2’ to request an IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter. For the 2018-2019 academic year, you will need the 2018 tax year.
• If successfully validated, non-filers can expect to receive a paper IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter at the address used in their telephone request, within 5-10 days from the time the IRS receives the request.

IRS Verification of Non-filing Letters requested by telephone cannot be sent directly to a third party by the IRS.

Paper Request Form

• Download IRS Form 4506-T.
• Complete lines 1 through 4, following the instructions on page 2 of the form. Note that line 3 should be the most current address on file with the IRS. It is the address where the IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter will be sent. If the address has recently changed, include the address listed on the latest tax return filed on line 4. However, if an address change has been completed through the U.S. Postal Service, the IRS may have the updated address on file.
• Line 5 provides non-filers with the option to have their IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter mailed directly to a third party by the IRS.
• On line 7, select the checkbox on the right hand side for “Verification of Non-filing.”
• On line 9, “Year or period requested”, enter 12/31/2018 (for the 2020-2021 academic year).
• The non-filer must sign and date the form and enter their telephone number. Only one signature is required when requesting a joint IRS Verification of Non-filing Letter.
• Mail or fax the completed IRS Form 4506-T to the appropriate address or fax number provided on page 2 of the form.
• Non-filers can expect to receive their Verification of Non-filing Letter within 5 to 10 days from the time the IRS receives and processes their signed request.

If you are a first-year, Undergraduate Day student, all requested documents should be submitted to the College Board’s Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC).

If you are a returning, Undergraduate Day student, please submit all verification materials to the following address, fax or email:

ATTN: Student Financial Services, 354 RI
Northeastern University
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Fax: 617.373.8735

Email: [email protected]