Study Abroad Office Northwestern

In This Section:

• Choosing Courses
• Study Abroad Credits
• Grades & Transcripts
• ISPs
• Internships
• Student Status Issues
• Study Abroad Research Program (SARP)

Online Guide to Study Abroad

• Academic Issues
• Requirements
• Financial Issues
• Health and Safety Abroad
• Diversity Abroad
  

Publications and Forms

• Study Abroad Handbook 2009-2010
• Study Abroad Handbook 2010-2011
• McCormick Curriculum Petition
• Internship/ISP Credit Cover Sheet
• WCAS Letter
• WCAS Credit Transfer Form
• SESP Letter
• Music Letter
• Music Credit Transfer
• Medill Letter
• Medill Credit Transfer
• McCormick Letter & Forms
• Communication Letter

Study Abroad Grades and the Northwestern GPA and Transcript

General guidelines

Your study abroad grades will not appear on your Northwestern University Official Transcript or figure into your cumulative GPA. (The European Union Studies and the Public Health in France programs run by the International Program Development Office are exceptions; these program grades will be factored into your cumulative GPA.) However, if you wish to receive credit for an abroad course, you are required to take it for a grade.

Transcript recording procedures

• Credit will be considered for courses in which C grades or better were earned. Courses in which lower grades were earned will be awarded "0" credit. An accompanying statement will be posted to the Northwestern transcript stating: "Study Abroad Course: No credit given for non-transferable grade."
• Non-transferable courses (see Choosing Courses to Take Abroad) will not appear on your Northwestern University Official Transcript.
• The name of your program or university will be noted on your transcript.

Graduate schools and GPAs

While your grades from abroad will not affect your Northwestern GPA, it is important to remember that graduate schools (including medical, business, and law schools) generally instruct applicants to provide study abroad transcripts and then recalculate GPAs so that they include the study abroad grades.

Obtaining an official copy of your study abroad transcripts

Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the Northwestern University Office of the Registrar is unable to release or issue an official copy of your study abroad transcript.

Rather, you will need to contact your study abroad provider (e.g., Arcadia University, SIT, LSE, etc.) if you need an official copy of it in the future. For this reason, Northwestern recommends that you request multiple official transcripts for future use from your study abroad program soon after completing the program, once all grades have posted. You are welcome to request an unofficial copy of your transcript from the Northwestern Study Abroad Office at any time.