Affordability Program

At North Central we understand that for students and their families, paying for college is a substantial investment.  We also know that the less debt students incur while enrolled, the greater opportunity they will have for success in their chosen field after graduation. For this reason, North Central is committed to a holistic approach to helping students navigate the financial realities of higher education - providing generous Financial Aid packages, facilitating monthly payment plans, offering students financial literacy training & financial counseling, and structuring our programs to help students graduate and complete their education more quickly and with less debt.

In addition to helping students tap in to millions of dollars in financial aid each year, North Central regularly evaluates and adapts our financial aid awarding process. Our goal is to make it as simple as possible for a student to understand what Financial Aid they will be eligible to receive, allowing them to evaluate what their personal cost of attendance will be early in the enrollment process.  Most students’ net cost of attending North Central is far lower than the total published cost, since most students qualify for scholarships, grants, and/or other types of aid.

North Central has taken significant steps to ensure that students have every opportunity to graduate within four years.  Beginning in Fall 2011, all of our Academic Programs have been revised to include no more than 124 credit hours whenever possible.  In addition to this reduction in the number of courses required for graduation, North Central also offers a "block" (also known as “flat-rate”) tuition plan. Block tuition allows students to take 12-18 hours of credits each semester (fall and spring) for the same price, and helps families shorten the time it takes students to earn a degree, plan better financially, save money each year, and reduce debt upon graduation.

The first step to learning what your Financial Aid options are is the Net Price Calculator.  By providing some basic information about your academic standing and financial situation, you'll be able to instantly see what scholarships you qualify for and what your estimated annual cost of attendance would be.  Remember, depending on your situation, you may also qualify for additional aid beyond what is included in the initial estimate.  These additional options will be able to be explored as you move further along in the admissions process.

• Completing your Application for Admission as early as possible is another great place to start.  Some types of Financial Aid are awarded on a "first-come, first-served" basis, so getting a head start is always a good idea, and the information we recieve as part of your application process (such as your transcripts) help us determine what awards you should recieve.

• Beginning on January 1 of the year a student plans to start at North Central, all students should fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).  The FAFSA helps our Financial Aid office make sure you recieve the need-based Federal and Institutional aid you qualify for - and it's also required before you can take advantage of any Federal student loan programs.

• Check out other financial aid opportunities NCU offers to see if you qualify:

• THE RAM PLAN: If your financial aid package doesn't cover your costs (most students have a balance remaining to be paid after aid), you don't have to pay it all at once. NCU offers a payment option, "The Ram Plan". The Ram Plan will allow students to pay their remaining balance with an interest free monthly plan, spread over up to seven months in the fall semester and five months in the spring semester.  

A note about GPA requirements: Your aid award from NCU will be determined based on your cumulative high school GPA at the time of your acceptance to NCU. Your aid will not be reevaluated if your GPA changes after you have already been admitted.  (If you are a transfer student, your aid will be determined based on your cumulative transfer GPA).