The Federal Graduate PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN) serves as your application. The MPN does not need to be completed every year, but previous borrowers may need to complete the MPN again if a significant amount of time has passed since they last applied, or if they are changing their lender or degree program. Instructions are provided below for first-time borrowers and for previous borrowers. 1. You will receive an award notice via e-mail The award notice will indicate your Graduate PLUS Loan eligibility. 2. Select a lender When accepting your award notice on the Accept/Decline Financial Aid Award web page in CAESAR, select a Graduate PLUS Loan lender. We offer a Preferred Lender List for those who would like assistance making a choice. The Office of Financial Aid will certify a Graduate PLUS Loan with any lender you select. If you borrow from a lender that is not on the Preferred Lender List, you must select "Other" on your Accept/Decline Financial Aid Award web page in CAESAR. 3. Complete the MPN on your chosen lender's website About two weeks after you submit your online award notice, you will receive an e-mail from the lender you chose in CAESAR. This e-mail will be sent to your NU e-mail account and will inform you of the steps needed to complete and e-sign your online Federal Graduate PLUS Loan Master Promissory Note (MPN) on your lenders web site. If you borrow from a lender that is not on the Preferred Lender List, you will need to download a paper MPN (pdf). Follow these instructions when completing the paper MPN: - Use ink.
- Driver's License Number (Item 7): Provide number or write N/A if you do not hae a driver's license. Do not leave the field blank.
- References (Item 13): Complete this information fully. Each referenence must have a different U.S. address. A P.O. Box address may only be used if mail delivery is in a rural area.
Return your completed MPN to:
Office of Financial Aid, Chicago (C315)
710 N. Lake Shore Drive, Room 629
Chicago, IL 60611-3078
Phone: (312) 503-8722
Fax: (312) 503-8700 4. The Office of Financial Aid will process the Graduate PLUS Loan 5. Complete your Entrance Interview on the Mapping Your Future website.
From the Mapping Your Future home page, complete these steps: - Click on the "Online Student Loan Counseling" Link.
- Select "Illinois" from the list of available states.
- Select "Northwestern University – Evanston, IL" from the list of participating institutions. (Feinberg, Law, Physical Therapy, Prosthetic-Orthotics and SCS only)
- Follow the instructions, reading all of the information presented and answering the questions.
- Fill out the student information form.
Upon completion of the interview, you will receive a confirmation number, which you should keep for your records. In the event that an error is encountered when transmitting your data to Northwestern, the Chicago Office of Financial Aid will need the number to retrieve your information.
In most cases, if you have borrowed from the Federal Graduate PLUS Loan program during the prior academic year, you do not need to complete another MPN. A few situations would require a Previous Graduate PLUS Loan borrower to complete another MPN: - You decide to change your Graduate PLUS Loan Lender.
- 12 months has elapsed since your last Graduate PLUS Loan disbursement.
- You are changing degree programs (e.g., changing from an undergraduate to a graduate/professional degree program).
If you are uncertain if you need to complete the Graduate PLUS Loan MPN again, you can check "comments" in step 4 of your Financial Aid Award Notice e-mail. If you do not need to complete a new MPN: 1. You will receive an award notice that indicates your Graduate PLUS Loan eligibility. Indicate the amount you wish to borrow and accept the award in CAESAR.
2. The Office of Financial Aid will process your Graduate PLUS Loan. If you do need to complete a new MPN: 1. You will receive an award notice that indicates your Graduate PLUS Loan eligibility. Indicate the amount you wish to borrow and accept the award in CAESAR.
2. Download a paper MPN (pdf). For instructions on how to fill out the MPN, follow the steps outlined for First-Time Borrowers in step 3, above.
3. The Office of Financial Aid will process your Graduate PLUS Loan. | 
