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Transferring Course Credit

Each school's credit transfer policy and other credit requirements/restrictions are explained to students before they study abroad and during advising sessions, the application process and pre-departure orientation meetings.

General Elective Credit

Courses taken abroad will transfer to Northwestern as general elective credit as long as transfer credit requirements are met and only after the following steps are completed:

  1. Students submit a study abroad program evaluation.
  2. The Global Learning Office (GLO) office receives and forwards the student's study abroad transcript to the Office of the Registrar.

Major, Minor and/or Distribution Credit

Students who would like to apply study abroad credit toward a major, minor, and/or distribution requirement will follow their school's credit transfer process and policies.

  • Generally, students will need to meet with academic advisers if they wish to use study abroad credits to fulfill specific requirements and often must submit syllabi, course descriptions and/or final projects for review.
  • Students who are seeking credit for a second major or minor outside of their school will need to follow the respective school's transfer process and policies to do so. For example, a SESP student with a second major in history will need to follow the Weinberg transfer credit process to request that a study abroad course in history count toward a major requirement.
  • Read about credit transfer eligibility for internships completed abroad.

Study Abroad Before Northwestern

Transfer students who studied abroad while at their former university and incoming first-year students who studied abroad at the university level prior to matriculation into Northwestern may be eligible to seek pre-matriculation study abroad credit. GLO cannot assist with this. Students should contact Admissions and the Office of the Registrar.

No Retroactive Study Abroad Credit Policy

Students cannot petition retroactively for credit for study abroad undertaken while at Northwestern. All students who wish to earn credit for coursework completed outside the United States must apply through GLO by the appropriate deadline.

International Students Studying in Their Home Country

International students on F1/J1 visas, as well as dual citizens not on J1/F1 visas, who are seeking to enroll independently in courses at foreign institutions in their countries of permanent residence/citizenship may be exempt from applying for permission to study abroad by the study abroad application deadlines. Refer to information for international students.