Emergency Scholarship Assistance
Established through a generous gift from an anonymous foundation and matched by the Dean’s Excellence Fund, the Emergency Scholarship Fund provides one-time financial support to CPS students enrolled in a degree program (bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate) who are experiencing a qualifying financial crisis. Awards cover the cost of one course — up to $1,680 for undergraduate students and up to $2,757 for graduate students — and are applied to billable tuition and fees only.
Is This Scholarship Right for You?
This is a crisis intervention resource, not ongoing financial assistance. It is designed to help students in the final stages of their degree persevere through an unexpected hardship that would otherwise prevent them from finishing. Students who are earlier in their program are rarely eligible.
A qualifying crisis may include, but is not limited to:
- Prolonged or acute illness
- Loss of employment
- Loss of housing or property due to flood, fire, natural disaster, or war
- Separation or divorce
- The passing of a family member on whom you were financially dependent
- High medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance
This scholarship is available only to students who have not previously received it.
A Note on Financial Need Assessment
For domestic students, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the standard tool used to assess financial need. Because FAFSA draws on federal tax data from prior years, it may not fully reflect a significant recent change in your circumstances — and this scholarship is intended to address exactly that gap. If you are a domestic student and have not yet completed a FAFSA, we encourage you to do so.
International students are not required to complete a FAFSA and are not disadvantaged by the absence of one.
How to Apply
If you believe you meet the criteria above, please complete the Emergency Scholarship Application Form. After submitting, you may be asked to provide supporting documentation. Depending on your situation, this could include:
- Copies of medical or dental bills
- Statement of insurance coverage
- Receipts for replacement of property
- Statement of unemployment benefits
- Copy of a termination letter
Submitting a form does not guarantee eligibility or an award. Due to application volume, only applicants selected to receive this scholarship will be notified within two weeks of submission. Awards are subject to availability of funds and are made possible by the generosity of alumni and friends of Northeastern University.
If you believe your circumstances may also affect your federal financial aid award, please contact Student Financial Services.
Eligibility Requirements
To be considered, you must:
- Have explored other available resources, such as the Northeastern CARES Grant, which are insufficient or unavailable to you
- Be currently enrolled in a degree program at CPS in good academic standing — certificate and non-degree students are not eligible
- Be experiencing a one-time financial crisis as described above
- Be applying for this scholarship for the first time
Contact
For questions about the process or status, please contact Mary McCarthy at [email protected].
