|
1. General Northwestern Study Abroad Rules Regarding Courses Taken Abroad
2. Credit Transfer
3. Study Abroad Grades, the Northwestern GPA, and the Northwestern Transcript
4. Choosing Courses to Take Abroad
5. Fulfilling Major, Minor, Distribution, or Other Requirements
6. Maintaining Northwestern Status during Study Abroad
7. Study Abroad and the Northwestern Undergraduate Residence Requirement
8. For More Information
1. General Northwestern Study Abroad Rules Regarding Courses Taken Abroad for Northwestern Credit
Northwestern Study Abroad requires that students abide by the following requirements regarding their courses abroad:
a) You must take all courses for an official grade; in other words, courses for which you plan to petition for Northwestern credit may not be taken P/N.
b) All courses for which you plan to petition for Northwestern credit must be transferable to Northwestern (see “Choosing Courses to Take Abroad,” below, for an explanation of the kinds of courses that are not transferable).
c) You must complete all courses, coursework, and final assessments on site. Exceptions may be made for students who take incompletes because of circumstances beyond their control.
Back to top.
2. Credit Transfer a) Students who abide by the rules outlined in this “Academic Issues” section and receive course grades of C or better may earn credits for courses completed on a non-Northwestern summer study abroad program.
b) Students who want to know exactly how their credits abroad will calculate into Northwestern credits should consult with their degree auditor in the Office of the Registrar (847-491-5234 or nu-registrar@northwestern.edu). This can only be done once students know what courses they plan to take.
c) You are responsible for ensuring that your study abroad program sends an official copy of your transcript to the Northwestern Study Abroad Office (NOT to the Office of the Registrar). Upon completing your program, you are also required to submit a program evaluation to the Northwestern Study Abroad Office. Once the office receives your transcript and evaluation, we will forward the transcript to the Office of the Registrar for processing. The Office of the Registrar will then evaluate the transcript, in cooperation with Northwestern schools and departments, and determine the final credit transfer. Students in some schools must also complete a simple petition for credit transfer (for details, see http://www.northwestern.edu/studyabroad/students/returnees/transfercredit.html).
d) Make sure to bring back all relevant course information, such as course descriptions, syllabi, exams, papers, etc. to present to your academic/school advisers, who may wish to review these documents before granting credit.
Back to top.
3. Study Abroad Grades, the Northwestern GPA, and the Northwestern Transcript
• Grades for courses transferred from any institution, domestic or abroad, are not recorded on the Northwestern University Official Transcript nor are they computed in the cumulative grade point average. However, you may only transfer back to Northwestern courses that you took for a grade.
• Courses that are transferred to your Northwestern University record are recorded with a grade of "T" denoting "transfer credit." They will be denoted by general credit (e.g. GEN_CRED 1XX, denoting general credit 100 level) or, if approved by your department or school, by the Northwestern University equivalent courses (e.g. PHIL 110-0 Intro to Philosophy). The department or school may approve general departmental credit (e.g. PHIL 1XX, denoting general Philosophy credit 100 level). Each course listing will indicate the number of credits that you receive for the course (generally 1/course).
• Credit will be considered only for courses in which a C grade or better was earned. Courses for which a lower grade was earned will be awarded "0" credit, and 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,” below) will not appear on your Northwestern University Official Transcript.
• The name of your program or university will be noted on your transcript.
While your grades from abroad will not affect your Northwestern GPA, it is important to remember that graduate schools (including medical and law schools) generally instruct applicants to provide foreign study transcripts (transcripts issued by the study abroad provider, e.g., Arcadia University, LSE, IES, SIT, etc.) and then recalculate GPAs so that they include the study abroad grades.
Please note that due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, 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.
Back to top.
4. Choosing Courses to Take Abroad
Meeting with Department/School Advisers
As part of the application process, you will have your anticipated course selections reviewed by your department and/or school advisers before leaving to study abroad.
No matter how much planning you do ahead of time, it is possible that, once you are abroad, you will decide to register for one or more courses that are different from those you planned to take. If this happens, and you hope to use some of your courses abroad to fulfill specific requirements, you should promptly contact the relevant advisers at Northwestern to discuss the changes you wish to make. If you have trouble reaching someone on campus from abroad, let the Study Abroad Office know and we'll try to help out. It is not a good idea to simply assume that a course taken abroad will count toward a requirement without first consulting with the appropriate adviser.
Note: Changes in enrollment during study abroad, including but not limited to changes in course selection and the receipt of a failing grade or an incomplete, may result in the loss of financial aid and/or acceptable credits upon return to campus (which could affect your University Residence Requirement as well). If you have questions about a change in enrollment, please contact the Study Abroad Office.
School-Specific Requirements
Each school at Northwestern has written a letter to study abroad students explaining their policies and procedures for study abroad—including their various policies regarding study abroad credit. Links to these letters are on the page linked above. Read your school letter carefully, and contact your school representative if you have any questions.
Non-Transferable Courses
The following types of courses are not transferable to Northwestern, which means that you will not receive Northwestern credit for them. (To read the complete Northwestern University Transfer Credit Policy, click here.)
• Courses taken abroad on a “pass/fail” basis;
• Duplicate courses (meaning, they duplicate courses you have already received credit for at Northwestern);
• Courses that cover subject matter not taught in Northwestern's undergraduate curriculum (e.g., wine tasting, cooking, fashion design, etc.)
As long as Northwestern teaches the general subject, the course is fine. For example, a course in Irish literature is fine because Northwestern offers literature courses.
Northwestern does not allow undergraduates to major in business or law, but does offer minors in business institutions and legal studies, which include particular types of business and law courses. For more information on taking business courses abroad, see the document, “Planning to Take Business Courses Abroad?,” available at the Study Abroad Office and on our Web site. For more information on taking law courses abroad, contact Professor Robert Nelson at r-nelson@northwestern.edu .
Back to top.
5. Fulfilling Major, Minor, Distribution, or Other School Requirements Abroad
Major/Minor Requirements
Your departmental advisers have the final decision regarding which study abroad credits fulfill requirements for your major and minor. While no credit can be guaranteed until you return, you need to meet with your advisers before you leave to discuss the courses you plan to take abroad and which requirements, if any, you would like them to fulfill. In addition, you should keep in touch with your advisers from abroad if your plans change (see Choosing Courses to Take Abroad, above).
Distribution/Other School Requirements
Distribution or other school requirements must be approved by your school representative.
All Requirements
You are required to meet with your school representative as part of the Northwestern study abroad application process.
As explained earlier, you should bring back all relevant course information, such as course descriptions, syllabi, exams, papers, etc. to present to your academic adviser and/or school representative when you return to campus. This will permit your advisers to determine which Northwestern courses are equivalent to the course(s) you completed abroad and to submit appropriate documentation on course substitutions to your school/the Office of the Registrar.
Back to top.
6. Maintaining Northwestern Status during Study Abroad
All students whose study abroad plans have been officially approved by the Northwestern Study Abroad Office will remain enrolled at Northwestern for the duration of their programs. This will permit you to retain your NU e-mail address and current student status. Students on affiliated programs may request enrollment status documentation from Northwestern University . Students on un-affiliated programs needing to document their current enrollment status (full-time, part-time) must request such documentation from the institution or provider currently attending.
Back to top.
7. Study Abroad and the Northwestern Undergraduate Residence Requirement
All Northwestern University students are subject to the Undergraduate Residence Requirement. Students are responsible for ensuring that they meet this requirement. The requirement is explained in the Northwestern Undergraduate Catalogue. If you have questions, contact your degree auditor in the Office of the Registrar.
Back to top.
8. For More Information . . .
Contact the Northwestern Study Abroad Office at (847) 467-6400 or studyabroad@northwestern.edu.
Back to top. |
