Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) on the Web (Northwest Federal School Code: 002496).
The Standard Scholarship Application is intended for most major-specific scholarships (not including any performance-based scholarships). All Freshman, Continuing, Transfer, and Graduate students will be able to complete the application on CatPAWS after they have been accepted for admission. The Standard Scholarship Application is available from September 1 through February 1.
Students will be asked to provide activities they have participated in, honors they have received, and positions they have held, provide short answers, and upload attachments (resumes, transcripts, etc.). Each student's completed application, along with the necessary academic information, will be forwarded to the appropriate departments for evaluation and consideration. This Standard Scholarship Application will not be required for admission-based scholarships.
If accessing CatPAWS for the first time, will need to set up your Northwest email account.
If you've already set up your email account. Please use the following instructions to access the application:
The Standard Scholarship Application will be available until February 1. Students must submit the application by February 1 to be considered for scholarships awarded for the upcoming academic year. Feel free to log in and update your application as many times as you wish until the deadline date. After the deadline date closes, your completed application, along with necessary academic and demographic information, will be forwarded to the appropriate departments for evaluation and consideration. At that point, departments may prefer to contact you for any additional information. All scholarships will be awarded for the upcoming aid year unless stated otherwise.
If you are interested in performance-based scholarships (athletics, music, theatre, and forensics), you will need to contact the appropriate department for additional information.
If you have any questions regarding the Standard Scholarship Application, please contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance at finaid@dos5.net or 660.562.1363.
To learn more about the 2025-2026 FAFSA Simplification Act and what you can do to prepare please visit this FAFSA Information page.