Taking a full load of courses
Taking courses for which you do not need/want
NU credit
NU requirements for specific programs
Receiving partial credit
Taking courses for a grade
Registration
Transcripts
Extending your stay abroad
Taking
a full load of courses
Q: I do not need a full term's worth
of credits. Is it okay if I register for fewer than the recommended
number of courses?
No. Taking courses abroad is an integral part of your study
abroad experience--which is why it's a study experience, as
opposed to a travel experience. All Northwestern students
abroad are required to register for a full course load, whether
or not they need all the credits. This is defined as the recommended
number of courses suggested by the sponsoring institution
(e.g., Arcadia University-Edinburgh, IES-Berlin, the London
School of Economics, etc.).
Taking
courses for which you do not need/want NU credit
Q: I do not need a full term's worth
of credits from Northwestern. For the courses for which I
do not care if I receive NU credit, do I have to follow NU's
policies and procedures (e.g., taking the courses for a grade,
completing the course and taking the regular assessment, etc.)?
Yes, you must still adhere to Northwestern's policies
and procedures. Students who fail to do so risk losing credit
for their entire time abroad.
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NU
requirements for specific programs
Q: Are there any program-specific requirements
that I must adhere to while abroad?
Yes. Click here
to view these requirements.
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Receiving
partial credit
Q: If I do not complete all of the coursework
for a class, can I receive partial credit?
No. To receive credit for a course taken abroad, Northwestern
students are required to complete all coursework, including
any final assessments (exams, papers, projects, etc.). As
a rule, students will not receive partial credit for courses
in which they did not complete all coursework and final assessments.
A Special Note for Students at the London School of Economics
(LSE):
LSE students are required to take and pass exams in order
to receive credit for their courses. If you do not take an
exam in a course—or if you fail a course or an exam--you
will receive a grade of "N" (which will be posted
on your transcript), and thus will receive no credit for the
course.
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Taking
courses for a grade
Q: Can I take any classes P/N while abroad?
Not if you want to receive Northwestern credit for them.
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Registration
Q: How do I register for classes at Northwestern?
Please read the Registration Instructions
for Next Quarter.
Some important things to remember about registering from abroad:
* You MUST keep your NetID and password current! Your password
needs to be changed every four months. You will not be able
to register if your account is inactive.
* You should plan to be in your host country during registration,
because it is especially difficult to find Internet access
in an unfamiliar city.
* If you have outstanding financial obligations to Student
Accounts, Student Loans, or the Northwestern Library, you
will be unable to register. Check with these offices beforehand,
so that you don't run into trouble during the week of registration.
* Pre-registration is performed in some departments a week
prior to normal registration to allow majors and minors special
access to course selection.
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Transcripts
Q: Where should I have my study abroad
transcript sent?
The Northwestern Study Abroad Office
630 Dartmouth Place
Evanston, IL 60208-4195
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Extending
your study abroad
Q: I'm really enjoying my program and
would like to stay for the full year instead of just for fall
semester. Can I do this? And if so, what do I need to do?
Northwestern encourages students to study abroad for the
full year, and if you would like to extend your stay, you
may be able to do so. You need to take the following seven
steps, however, before we can approve an extension. Once these
seven steps are complete, we will send you an email stating
that you have been officially approved by Northwestern to
extend your stay to the full year, or that you have not been
approved. We will cc: this email to your Degree Auditor, our
Assistant Director of Financial Services, your study abroad
program, your departmental adviser, and your school representative
1)Contact your program directly to find out if it is possible
to extend your stay.
2) Send an email to studyabroad@northwestern.edu
explaining why you would like to extend your stay to the full
year.
3) WCAS, McCormick, and Communication students only:
Contact your adviser in your major department. Tell her/him
that you would like to stay abroad for the whole year. Explain
the kinds of courses that you are taking and that you plan
to take abroad, and ask him/ her if they approve your extension.
If the adviser approves, s/he should send an email to studyabroad@northwestern.edu
stating this approval.
Your adviser should consider the following:
To the departmental adviser(s):
Do you think extending the term abroad to a full year is reasonaable
from the point of view of the major? For example, if the student
wishes to take mostly elective credit abroad, will there be
sufficient time to finish major requirements upon returning
to campus? If the student wishes to make progress towards
major requirements abroad, are courses from this program generally
acceptable to your department? Is there a limit on the number
of study abroad courses that may be counted towards the major?
If your approval of the student's study abroad plans is conditional,
please state the conditions below. Please note that all of
the normal rules about double counting also apply to study
abroad courses.
Approval means:
I believe that this student's plan to extend the term abroad
to a full year will be acceptable to my department in partial
fulfillment of his/her major program.
4) All students: Contact your School Representative
School Representatives:
WCAS: Your College Adviser, 847-491-8914
Music: Linda Garton, 847-491-7571
SESP: Your Program Adviser (Mark Hoffman,
Susan Elizabeth Olson, Jessie Blank, or Meg Kreuser), 847-491-3790
Medill: Keri Disch or Dorina Aguilar Rasmussen, 847-491-3586
McCormick: Joe Holtgreive, 847-491-3332
Communication: Susan Dun, 847-491-7214
Tell her/him that you would like to stay abroad for the whole
year. Explain the kinds of courses that you are taking and
that you plan to take abroad, and ask him/ her if they approve
your extension. If the adviser approves, s/he should send
an email to studyabroad@northwestern.edu
stating this approval.
Your adviser should consider the following:
To the School Representative:
Taking into account the general education requirements of
your school and the overall performance of the student to
date: Do you think the plan to extend to a full year is reasonable?
Are there any aspects of the student's record that cause you
to hesitate to support this request (for example, unfinished
incompletes, insufficient progress towards degree requirements,
weak preparation in language or other area of the proposed
study abroad curriculum, etc.)?
Approval means:
I believe that this student's plan to extend the term abroad
to a full year will be acceptable to my school in partial
fulfillment of the student's academic program at Northwestern.
Her/his study abroad plans make good academic sense considering
his/her overall plan of study at Northwestern.
5) Have your parent or guardian email studyabroad@northwestern.edu
stating their approval of your extension. If they prefer,
they may also fax their approval, with a signature, to our
office at 847-467-6410. Please note that you will be charged
the full-year study abroad administrative fee rather than
the fee for one-two quarters. For a listing of fee amounts,
click here.
6) Complete the University
Residence Requirement Form again.
- If you do not need verification of the University Residence
Requirement from your Degree Auditor, forward the form to
studyabroad@northwestern.edu.
Your email will serve as your signature.
- If you need verification of the University Residence Requirement
from your Degree Auditor:
1) Email your answers to your Degree Auditor in the Office
of the Registrar:
Last Names A-L:
Jane Baugher (e-baugher@northwestern.edu)
Last Names M-Z:
Jalila Lewis (jalila-lewis@northwestern.edu)
2) Explain that you are trying to extend you stay abroad
from fall term to a full year, and that you need to have
this form completed by the Degree Auditor. Ask your auditor
to complete the questions below and email the completed
form to studyabroad@northwestern.edu.
To Be Completed by your Degree Auditor
Study Abroad Term (Quarter(s), Year):________________________________
Expected Graduation Term (Quarter, Year):____________________________
If transfer student: Residence Requirement __________
quarters
Comments:
Auditor's Signature: _____________________________________
Date:_______________
The signature of the Degree Auditor above indicates that,
if the student follows his/her plan to study abroad during
the term listed above and then to graduate at the completion
of the expected graduation term listed above, s/he would successfully
fulfill the University Residence Requirement (URR). Any changes
to the plan set forth at this time may alter the URR and will
warrant further review.
7) Complete another Northwestern
University Study Abroad Health Insurance Coverage Form.
Forward the form to studyabroad@northwestern.edu.
Your parents must also complete the form and forward it to
the same address, or else fax it to 847-467-6410.
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