Northwestern Application Requirements

Northwestern encourages all students to consider study abroad. However, to be eligible, you need to meet the following requirements:

No Retroactive Credit

All students who wish to earn credit for study abroad must apply to the Study Abroad Office for permission to study abroad by the appropriate Northwestern application deadline and prior to the commencement of the program.

Retroactive requests for study abroad credit of any kind, during any term, will NOT be accepted.

This policy exists to ensure that students find appropriate programs offering coursework that may transfer back to Northwestern and are able to take full advantage of the support services offered on campus prior to departure.

No exceptions will be made.

Minimum Application Requirements

The University Study Abroad Committee expects all study abroad applicants to meet the following requirements at the time of application:

  • Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
    USAC considers applicants' GPAs particularly important because students abroad will not have access to the same multitude of University resources available at Northwestern to help them improve academically. Therefore, unless students with lower GPAs can clearly demonstrate a specific reason for their grades, that they have been continually improving, and that they have a compelling reason for studying abroad, the Committee believes it is in the students' best interest to stay on campus and focus on academic work. Additionally, most of Northwestern's affiliated study abroad providers also require applicants to have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

    Students whose cumulative GPAs are slightly lower than a 3.0 will still be considered for study abroad if they can demonstrate the following:

    • the lower GPA is the result of a particular situation (e.g., switching majors, medical leave, etc.);
    • the GPA is steadily improving;
    • they have strong support from their school representative;
    • they have a compelling and coherent academic reason for choosing the study abroad program(s) to which they are applying;
    • they have strong personal interests in their study abroad location and/or courses, which are apparent in their course choices at Northwestern, extracurricular activities, application essays, etc.

  • Plan to study abroad during their junior year at Northwestern
    Students applying to study abroad during their sophomore or senior years must have strong support from their schools and departments.

  • Fulfill the Northwestern Language Requirement
    See below for details.

  • Meet the Undergraduate Residence Requirement
    The Undergraduate Residence Requirement specifies the number of quarters that you must be a full-time student on campus before graduating; study abroad does not count toward this requirement. Students must be able to demonstrate that they will complete all graduation requirements in a timely manner.

  • Have strong school and departmental backing as well as parent/guardian approval
    Students must obtain approval from major and minor advisors, school representatives, and their parent/guardian.

  • Demonstrate seriousness of purpose and clear reasons for choosing a particular study abroad country and program
    For more information, see Choosing a Program.

  • Demonstrate emotional stability and maturity
    Students must indicate the ability to lead a stable, responsible, and healthy life abroad as a representative of Northwestern and the U.S.

Declaring a Major before Studying Abroad

To apply for study abroad, you must at least preliminarily choose a major and make your study abroad plans on the basis of that choice. Undeclared students must declare a major before starting a study abroad program.

If you then change your mind - or if you already declared a major but decide to switch majors or schools - you must review your study abroad plans with 1) your new adviser, 2) your school representative, and 3) the Study Abroad Office so all are aware of the change in your academic status and can help ensure proper credit transfer.

Northwestern Language Requirement

  • Students applying to study abroad in countries where French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, or Spanish are spoken are required to complete at least 1 year of the language at the university level (or the equivalent, by placing out of the language) before studying abroad, whether or not the study abroad program requires this.

    Note: This part of the language requirement does not apply to McCormick students, Music students, or students applying to Northwestern's Contemporary Brazil program, Northwestern's European Union Studies program, Northwestern's Public Health programs, or the Duke Classics program in Rome.

  • Students applying to countries where languages other than those above are spoken are strongly encouraged to study the language at Northwestern before going abroad.

  • Most students study abroad on programs that are not run by Northwestern, many of which have their own language requirements above and beyond the Northwestern requirement. Check your program page for more information.

  • While abroad, all students studying in countries where the official language is not English are required to enroll in at least one language class, or one course taught in the official language, throughout their program. This does not apply to students on the Duke Classics program in Rome, who are required to take Latin and/or Greek while abroad.

Disciplinary Records

The Study Abroad Office will consult with the Office of Residential Life and the Office of Student Affairs at Northwestern to determine whether applicants have committed any disciplinary or housing violations, and to ascertain the circumstances surrounding any such violations. This information will be used in determining students' suitability for study abroad and may also be shared with the programs to which students apply.

Students who commit violations after they are approved but before they study abroad will have their disciplinary records reviewed by the Study Abroad Office and may not be permitted to study abroad.

School-Specific & Program Requirements

In addition to the general requirements above, each school at Northwestern has its own specific policies for study abroad, which are outlined in individual school letters:

Additionally, many programs have prerequisites. For example, Kings College in London requires that students who wish to study history have a strong background - three or four college courses - in history. These prerequisites are explained on each program's website.

Study Abroad & the Northwestern Undergraduate Residence Requirement

The Undergraduate Residence Requirement (URR) is predicated on the principle that when a student receives a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University, the majority of his or her academic work is completed on the Northwestern campus. Being "in residence" for a quarter means that the student is enrolled during the fall, winter, or spring quarter at Northwestern, is being taught by or is under the supervision of Northwestern faculty, and completes three or more credits.

Generally, a student who receives credit for study abroad must be in residence for either the final three quarters or four of the last six quarters before they are awarded a degree. All undergraduates are subject to the URR and are responsible for ensuring that they meet this requirement, which is explained in further detail on the Registrar's website. If you have questions, contact your degree auditor in the Office of the Registrar.

Additional Requirements

Depending on your student status, you may need to complete certain steps before studying abroad. For information on procedures for transfer students, studying abroad as a senior, and early graduation, For additional information, see the page on Student Status Issues.