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Transferring Credit from Study Abroad

Upon completion of your study abroad program, follow the below steps to start the study abroad credit transfer process based on your program types.

Remember that 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.

Affiliated or Unaffiliated and Exchange Programs

Send Program Transcripts to the Global Learning Office

Please work with your program to request or confirm that an official electronic transcript is sent directly to GLO at global@northwestern.edu. If your program is unable to provide an electronic transcript, please contact Laura Barron at l-barron@northwestern.edu or your GLO adviser for assistance.


 Once received, an unofficial copy of your transcript will be uploaded to GLObal Gateway and you will be sent an email confirming its receipt.

To access a copy of your study abroad transcript:

  1. Login to your application and select the "Documents" tab to view your transcript
  2. Download it for your records
    • Once you graduate, you will no longer have access to the GLObal Gateway and must contact GLO to request a copy 

Please note: It typically takes study abroad programs and foreign universities about two months to send the official transcript to Northwestern GLO. If your study abroad credits have not been posted on CAESAR after two months, contact your study abroad program to see if they have sent the transcript to our office.

Programs with Delayed Transcript Processing

Participants of CASA Barcelona Fall quarter programs, Arcadia-King's College, and IFSA-Argentine Universities Program should expect their transcripts to be delivered to Northwestern GLO approximately three to four months after program completion.

Submit a Program Evaluation

You are required to complete a program evaluation, which should take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Your study abroad transcript will not be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar until you complete a program evaluation.

Your evaluation will be treated confidentially, unless you indicate otherwise, and your honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of your program will provide us with important feedback to improve the program for future students.

Complete the Credit Transfer Process for Your School

If you are seeking to fulfill major, minor, or distribution or other school requirements, you must follow the credit transfer process for your school.

You can access a copy of your study abroad transcript in GLObal Gateway. Log in to your application and select the "Documents" tab to view your transcript and download it for your records. You will need this copy as part of the credit petitioning process.

Retain as many of your course materials as possible, regardless of what kind of credit you are seeking for your courses. Many schools/departments will need to see class descriptions, syllabi, papers, readings, and other course materials from your classes abroad as part of their credit petition process.

For Exchange Programs: Learn more about minimum requirements, grade equivalencies, and credit conversion..

Northwestern Programs

Submit a Program Evaluation

You are required to complete a program evaluation, which should take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Your study abroad transcript will not be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar until you complete a program evaluation.

Your evaluation will be treated confidentially, unless you indicate otherwise, and your honest assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of your program will provide us with important feedback to improve the program for future students.

Credit Posts (Northwestern Direct Credit Only)

If you participated on a Northwestern program that offers direct Northwestern course credit, you do not need to petition for credit for study abroad courses. You are enrolled in regular Northwestern courses (i.e., courses with Northwestern course numbers with an "-SA" section number) while abroad. All courses and grades appear on your Northwestern transcript and are figured into your GPA.

Complete the Credit Transfer Process for Your School (Transfer Credit Only)

If you participated on a Northwestern program where some or all of the credit posts to your Northwestern record as transfer credit and if you are seeking to fulfill major, minor, or distribution or other school requirements, you must follow the credit transfer process for your school. You will need the unofficial copy of your study abroad transcript as part of the credit petitioning process. 

You can access a copy of your study abroad transcript in GLObal Gateway. Log in to your application and select the "Documents" tab to view your transcript and download it for your records. You will need this copy as part of the credit petitioning process.

Retain as many of your course materials as possible, regardless of what kind of credit you are seeking for your courses. Many schools/departments will need to see class descriptions, syllabi, papers, readings, and other course materials from your classes abroad as part of their credit petition process.