Non-Northwestern Summer Programs
Considering a non-Northwestern summer program? Use the following information to guide your selection:
- Northwestern requirements
- Tools for your program search
- Recommended Non-NU Summer Programs
- Money matters
Northwestern requirements
Be sure that your selected program works within the following Northwestern requirements:
- Program dates and length: Pay close attention to the program's start date. Many summer programs begin in late May or early June, when Northwestern students are not eligible to participate due to Spring Quarter exams. Also, the Study Abroad Office strongly recommends that students participate in 4-6 week programs (6-8 weeks for language programs).
- Courses: Students must take courses that: 1) are transferable to NU, 2) are taken for official letter grades and earn the equivalent of a C or above, 3) have at least 30 contact hours.
- Credits: Students must enroll in a minimum of 2 semester credits total, but may enroll in a maximum of 10 semester credits. (2 semester credits = 1 NU quarter credit, 10 semester credits = 4 NU quarter credits). Courses worth 1 semester credit will not transfer to NU.
- Study abroad transcript: If the program you're interested in is not on our recommended non-NU summer program list below, the Study Abroad Office may need to verify with the Office of the Registrar that the transcript can be accepted by NU.
See the Academic Issues web pages for more detailed information about academic policies on choosing courses, credit transfer, grades, and transcripts.
Tools for your program search
Search resources:
1. Use our program selection worksheet (pdf), which can help you evaluate potential programs.
2. Use the following search engines to find programs:
- Studyabroad.com
- IIE Passport (Institute of International Education Study Abroad Directory)
- CIC Alliance for Expanded Study in Overseas Programs (Programs offered by Big 10 Schools)
3. Visit the web sites of universities and study abroad institutions that run the academic year programs on our affiliated list. Many also run summer programs.
- Alliance for Global Education
- American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR)
- American University in Cairo
- Arcadia University, College of Global Studies
- The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
- Danish Institute for Study Abroad
- Duke University
- IES Abroad
- The Institute for Study Abroad, Butler University (IFSA Butler)
- London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE)
- School for International Training (SIT)
- Syracuse University Abroad
- University of Minnesota
4. If you are interested in participating in a language intensive program, talk with faculty in the language departments at Northwestern. They will help you identify high quality programs specializing in language instruction.
Recommended non-NU summer programs:
Northwestern is not affiliated with these programs, but students have participated in them during past years and have been eligible to transfer credit. You can review student evaluations of these programs at the Study Abroad Office.
If you're interested in a program that is not listed below, you may need to meet with a Study Abroad Adviser to determine if the credits are transferable to NU or if you'll need to explore other options. Don't forget to review the Steps to Apply for a Non-NU Summer Program for more details.
Americas:
- Boston University (Summer in Peru, Summer in Argentina)
- CIC-Laval, Quebec
- Contisuyo Archaeological Field School (Peru)
- Duke University (OTS Costa Rica Summer Program)
- McGill University Summer Session in Montreal
- University of Minnesota in Venezuela
- University of Pennsylvania Summer Program in Argentina
Africa:
- American University of Cairo Summer Session
- IES Abroad Rabat Summer program
- SIT-Morocco
- SIT-South Africa
- SIT-Uganda and Rwanda
Asia:
- The Alliance for Global Education: Contemporary India Summer Program
- Alliance for Global Education China programs, various locations
- Ewha International Co-Ed Summer School
- Japan Summer Language Institute in Hokkaido through HIF
- Korea University International Summer Campus
- Portland State University, Waseda-Tokyo Summer Program
- Seoul National University
- SIT-India Summer Program
- Yonsei International Summer School
Europe:
- ACTR-Russian Language and Area Studies (be sure to check start dates; generally begins in early June)
- Arcadia University Summer Programs, various locations
- CHP's Shakespeare and Puppets in Prague Program
- CIEE Abroad Summer Programs, various locations
- Duke in Oxford Program
- Duke in Geneva Program
- Georgetown University Overseas Studies (Tours, France and other various locations)
- Georgia Tech Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Program in London
- IES Abroad Summer Programs, various locations
- IFSA-Butler Summer Programs, various locations
- Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland
- London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) Summer Session
- New York University Summer Abroad Programs (Paris, Dublin, London and other various locations)
- Penn in Alicante, Spain
- SIT-Switzerland
- Summer Institute of Hispanic Studies in León, Spain
- Temple in Oviedo, Spain
- The School of Russian & Asian Studies (SRAS)
- University of Minnesota in Montpellier, France
- University of Sussex International Summer School
- Villanova University Summer Program in Cadiz, Spain
Oceania:
Financial issues
Financial aid
Students applying to non-NU summer study abroad programs are not eligible to receive any financial aid from Northwestern, and Northwestern will not enter into any kind of financial or consortium agreement with another institution for the purposes of processing federal aid for non-NU summer programs.
Some scholarships may be available through your program sponsor or host institution. Contact the program directly for information, applications, and deadlines. You may also apply for outside scholarships or funding to help with the cost of your non-NU summer program.
Billing arrangements
Students attending non-NU summer study abroad programs are responsible for paying their programs directly for all charges except the Northwestern Study Abroad Administrative Fee (SAAF). Northwestern University will bill you for the Study Abroad Administrative Fee.
The host institution or program will bill you directly for tuition, room, board, and/or any other fees. Please contact your program for payment deadlines. If a program mistakenly bills Northwestern instead of you, we will forward the bill and contact the program about the error.
Paying deposits
Check with your program office for information on any required deposits, which must be paid to the program, not to the Study Abroad Office.
Arranging and paying for flights
You are responsible for making your own flight reservations and payments according to your program's specific dates and rules. Some programs include international group airfare in their program costs. Consult your program office or program literature for more detailed advice.
For more information
Contact Krista Buda, Assistant Director of Study Abroad Financial Services at (847) 491-7400.
