Note: Northwestern has a number of study abroad requirements unrelated to the application process, pertaining to course enrollment abroad, housing abroad, etc. To view these requirements, click here.

All applications for permission to study abroad during the fall, winter, and spring quarters are reviewed by the Study Abroad Office and the University Study Abroad Committee (USAC), which comprises faculty and administrators from all Northwestern schools.

While Northwestern encourages students to consider study abroad, it does not guarantee the right to study abroad. Rather, it views study abroad as a privilege that students must earn by meeting the following requirements:

a. Receiving Preliminary Approval to Study Abroad: Minimum Application Requirements
b. Receiving Official Approval to Study Abroad: Pre-Departure Requirements
c. Other Application Requirements

a. Receiving Preliminary Approval to Study Abroad: Minimum Application Requirements
Ordinarily, the University Study Abroad Committee expects applicants for permission to study abroad during the fall, winter, and spring quarters to meet the following requirements at the time of application:

• Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above (Click here to read the exception to this requirement.)
• Plan to study abroad during their junior year at Northwestern (Click here to read the exception to this requirement.)
• Demonstrate seriousness of purpose and clear reasons for choosing a particular study abroad country and program. For more details, see Tips for Success in the Application Process.
• Have strong school and departmental backing as well as parental/guardian approval
• Meet the University residence requirement (the number of quarters that you must be a full-time student on campus before graduating; study abroad does not count toward this requirement) and demonstrate that they will complete all graduation requirements in a timely manner
• Demonstrate emotional stability and maturity, indicating the ability to lead a stable, responsible, and healthy life abroad as a representative of Northwestern and the U.S.
  Note: To better assess this, the Study Abroad Office and the University Study Abroad Committee 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 program to which students apply. Students placed on any kind of probation that extends beyond the time their study abroad period is scheduled to begin will have their probation records reviewed by the Study Abroad Office and may not be permitted to study abroad.
• Students interested in applying to an unaffiliated study abroad program must receive permission to do so from the Study Abroad Office prior to the application deadline.
  For more information on applying to unaffiliated programs, see the document, “Studying Abroad on an Unaffiliated Program during the Academic Year,” available at the Study Abroad Office or online here.
• Students applying to study on two consecutive programs in different locations (e.g., a program in Spain in the fall and a program in England in the winter-spring) must demonstrate a compelling academic rationale for doing so. Northwestern generally encourages students to remain in one location for the entire year because this allows for deeper cultural and linguistic immersion during the second semester.

Students who do not meet some of the requirements outlined above will be expected to demonstrate compensating strengths in the other areas.

Special Note Regarding Students with a Cumulative GPA under 3.0/Recent Transfer Students/Students Applying to Study Abroad as Sophomores:
The final decision regarding applications from these students will be made once the Study Abroad Office sees their grades for the quarter in which the application deadline falls (Fall/Full Year Applicants: Winter Quarter grades; Winter-Spring Applicants: Spring Quarter grades).

*Exceptions to the Minimum Requirements

• Students applying to study abroad during their sophomore or senior years must have the strong support of their schools and departments.
• Students whose cumulative GPAs are slightly lower than a 3.0 will still be considered for study abroad if they can demonstrate some of the following:
  -the lower GPA is the result of a particular situation (e.g., switching majors, a difficult quarter, etc.)
  -their GPA is steadily improving
  -they have a particularly compelling, convincing, and coherent academic reason for choosing the study abroad program(s) to which they are applying, in terms of both location and program content/academic field
  -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.
  -Note: Students will not be permitted to study abroad if they will be on academic probation during the study abroad period.

The reason that the University Study Abroad Committee places so much emphasis on applicants’ GPAs is that students abroad do not have access to all of the University resources available here on Northwestern’s campus that are designed to help them improve academically. Thus, unless students with lower GPAs can clearly demonstrate that there was a specific reason for their lower grades, that they are continually improving, and that they have particularly strong reasons for studying abroad, the Committee believes that it is in their best interest to stay on campus to focus on their courses and deal with any obstacles that have prevented strong academic performance.

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b. Receiving Official Approval to Study Abroad: Pre-Departure Requirements
Students whose applications are preliminarily approved must do the following to receive official permission to study abroad:

• Submit all required pre-departure forms to the Northwestern Study Abroad Office by the Pre-Departure Orientation.
• Attend Northwestern’s mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation
• Maintain clean disciplinary records with the Office of Residential Life and the Office of Student Affairs before leaving to study abroad.
  Note: Students subject to University disciplinary sanctions may have their applications re-reviewed. Students will not be permitted to study abroad if they will be on disciplinary probation during the study abroad period.
• Maintain satisfactory academic performance before leaving to study abroad.
  Note: Students placed on academic probation since their applications were preliminarily approved will not be permitted to study abroad.
• Fulfill any other specific contingencies explained in the preliminary approval letter from the Study Abroad Office (e.g., taking a specific course before leaving for study abroad; getting a particular grade in a course; meeting with an adviser to discuss study abroad plans).

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c. Other Application Requirements

• School-Specific Requirements: WCAS, Communication, SESP, Medill, McCormick, Music
  In addition to the general requirements above, each school at Northwestern has its own specific policies for study abroad, which are outlined in specific school letters, available at the Study Abroad Office or online here.
• Prerequisites from Study Abroad Programs
  Most of the programs that Northwestern students participate in are not run by Northwestern, but rather by outside universities and organizations. These programs often have prerequisites, such as language or other background requirements. For example, the program in Freiburg, Germany has a language prerequisite of two years or the equivalent of college-level German. Kings College in London requires that students who wish to study history there have a strong background--three or four college courses--in history. These prerequisites are explained in the program brochures and Web sites.

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