Courses & Registration

Most partner programs follow a U.S. semester credit system. A full-time load for a semester program is typically 15 semester credits, which yields 6 Northwestern units of credit.

You are required to enroll in a full-time course load as defined by your program, regardless of whether you need the additional credits to transfer back to Northwestern.

If you participate in a semester-length program that requires enrollment during two Northwestern quarters (fall-winter or winter-spring), you must enroll in a minimum of 15 semester credits.

If you enroll in fewer credits-or if any of your courses do not transfer back to Northwestern-you will not earn 6 units at Northwestern, which could prevent you from meeting the Undergraduate Registration Requirement or maintaining satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility.

If you plan to study abroad for the full year and need to earn 12 units at Northwestern (4 units per quarter), you will need to enroll in a minimum of 31 semester credits or the equivalent abroad.

A full-time load for a direct-enroll program in Europe is typically 27 - 30 ECTS, which yields 6 - 8 Northwestern units of credit. Universities outside of Europe may use a different credit system. Review important information about credit conversion from the local credit system to Northwestern units to determine minimum enrollment requirements and anticipated credit yield.

Northwestern and Global Practicum Programs offer a set curriculum of Northwestern courses*. All courses will transfer back as direct Northwestern credit.

*The Berlin: German City, Global Perspective program is a combination of one Northwestern course and three transfer courses through Humboldt University. 

As part of the independent application process for academic year and summer programs, GLO and the Office of the Registrar will do a preliminary institutional and transcript review to verify that the program or university hosting the program issues credit and grades in ways that are recognizable by Northwestern for the purpose of transferring credit.

If your program follows a U.S. semester credit system, then refer to the information for partner programs above.

If your program involves direct enrollment in a foreign university, review the section related to exchange programs and/or consult GLO for information about credit conversion.

You will not receive credit at Northwestern for the following types of courses:

• Courses covering subject matter not taught in Northwestern's undergraduate curriculum (e.g., wine tasting, cooking, fashion design, etc.).
• Courses taken abroad on a "pass/fail" or no credit basis.
• Courses for which a grade equivalent to a C- or below was earned.
• Courses worth less than 2 semester credits or less than 2 ECTS.
• Online courses taken abroad at a foreign institution.
• Duplicate courses (meaning, they duplicate courses for which you have already received credit at Northwestern).

Taking non-transferable courses may cause you to drop below minimum full-time enrollment at Northwestern (the equivalent of 3 units at Northwestern), which could prevent you from meeting the Undergraduate Registration Requirement (URR) or maintaining satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility. Only consider taking a non-transferable course if you can manage this course in addition to the full-time course load for your program.

Note: If you receive financial aid for study abroad, you are required to transfer your credits back to Northwestern, regardless of whether you "need" the credits or intend to petition for specific departmental credit.

Each program and university abroad has its own process for registering for and enrolling in courses. Some may have a pre-registration process that takes places before you leave, others may not allow you to enroll until you arrive in country.

It is extremely important to read and respond to all communication from your program to ensure you don't miss course registration information and deadlines.

Students are required to take at least one quarter of instruction in an official language of the host country either before departure or while studying abroad. Alternatively, they may meet this requirement with an assessment of proficiency equivalent to a quarter of language study by a Northwestern language department. 

The only exceptions to this policy are: 

•  When the student is studying in a country in which English is an official language; or
•  When the study abroad program or host university do not stipulate a language requirement.

In all cases, students are strongly encouraged to study the target language before or during study abroad in order to maximize the benefit of the experience. 

• Do not register for on-campus courses  for yourself or others
  • GLO will register you directly, so you should not register yourself for any Northwestern classes during your term abroad.
    • This includes registering for Northwestern courses "just in case" you aren't admitted to your program.
    • Registering for on campus courses for the term you will be abroad will result in a registration hold and will prevent GLO from registering you for the appropriate study course(s) for that term. 
  • Concurrent enrollment in study abroad and domestic Northwestern courses (online or in person) is not allowed. 
  • Registering for on-campus courses to save spaces for friends is a violation of Northwestern’s policy on academic integrity. If you hold spots for other students in any on-campus courses during your term abroad, you will face academic and administrative consequences and will need to meet with the relevant academic integrity officer for your school.
• Pay your Northwestern bills
  • If you have outstanding financial obligations, you will have a registration hold that prevents GLO from registering you for study abroad.
• Update or confirm your emergency contact information in CAESAR
  • If you do not, you will have a registration hold for missing emergency contact information.

GLO will register you directly for your program courses in CAESAR

GLO will register you directly for a Northwestern study abroad placeholder course in CAESAR 

GEN_LA 354-0 Study Abroad Affiliated; Course Topic: Country: Program Name

GLO will register you directly for a Northwestern study abroad placeholder course in CAESAR 

GEN_LA 356-0 Study Abroad Unaffiliated

If you wish to change your study abroad program, extend your stay for an additional term, or withdraw from study abroad, contact your GLO adviser.