Enrollment

To officially secure your place in the class, you’ll need to submit your tuition and housing deposits. If your deposits have been waived, your enrollment will be automatically confirmed. A Northwestern NetID is required to make these deposits. If you haven’t yet done so, take the following steps to activate your Northwestern NetID:

1. You will find your unique, confidential NetID credentials in an online form accessible via the admissions Applicant Status Portal. Note that this form will only display once you have checked your decision (within an hour). 
2. To activate your NetID and your Northwestern email account, go to northwestern.edu/login, enter your NetID and activation code, and follow the prompts. (Be sure to use lowercase letters when entering your NetID.) You will be asked to create security questions that will help you access your account if you forget your password.

All students who intend to enroll must then submit their deposits by the deadlines posted on their Next Steps page.

Most families find it easiest to submit the deposits online using our CAESAR system and a credit card. If you choose to submit your deposits using a mailed check or in person, please ensure that you provide enough identifying information.

Note: Whether or not you are paying using our online system, you must still activate your NetID before the deadline.

Upon activating your NetID, you will be prompted to set up several security questions. It is imperative that you set up these security questions, as they will allow you to reset your password should you forget it. If you forget your password, click the "Forgot your password" link on the Self-Registration Tool log in screen. You will be required to answer two questions in order to verify your identity. If you do not activate the security questions, you will be required to come to campus in person and show identification in order to reset your NetID password.

If you should encounter difficulties activating your NetID, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission's technological services by e-mail at ug-helpdesk@u.northwestern.edu. After activation, Northwestern University Information Technology (NUIT) handles all NetID questions and concerns. Contact NUIT by phone at (847) 491-HELP or by email at consultant@northwestern.edu. Note: It is helpful to include the nature of the request in the subject line of your email and include your NetID in your message.

In some circumstances, credits taken at other universities can also be applied towards a Northwestern degree. Although official evaluation of your credits will be made by Northwestern's Registrar's Office, it may be helpful to know the following guidelines. 

Courses acceptable for credit must be comparable to courses at Northwestern and in comparable University departments (as listed in our course catalog).

The following courses do not transfer:

• Courses completed at an unaccredited college or university. 
• Physical education or hygiene courses.
• No more than three applied music courses (except applicants to the Bienen School of Music)
• Courses for which credit was granted by institutional examination rather than course attendance. 
• Mathematics courses below the level of calculus (with the exception of a combined course in college algebra and trigonometry or modern mathematics).
• Courses worth less than three quarter hours or two semester hours. 
• Credit granted through CLEP examinations. 
• Courses that an applicant has audited, repeated or failed. 
• English as a Second Language courses.
• Journalism courses (Medill students only)

More information on receiving credit for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate scores, including submission guidelines, can be found on the website of the Office of the Registrar.

To pursue a change of admission from one school to another, follow the relevant links on the Applicant Status Portal. School-change request forms are due by July 1 and require approval from the Director of Undergraduate Admission.

Admission is offered with the understanding that you will enroll in the academic year for which you applied. However, we recognize that circumstances may arise that present a unique opportunity or personal obligation that postpones enrollment. Requests for enrollment deferral require approval by the Director of Undergraduate Admission and are generally approved for one year only.

To request an enrollment deferral, you must first confirm your enrollment. Once confirmed, you will be able to view and access a form to request a deferral on your Applicant Status Portal. Proposals for deferred enrollment are due by June 1.

If we do not receive your transcripts, disciplinary disclosure form, and, for students who included SAT or ACT scores in their application, official test scores by the start of classes—or if your high school academic performance falters seriously, as indicated in your final transcript— your admission offer may be withdrawn. Northwestern also reserves the right to take that action if it receives information that, in its judgment, reflects significantly on your character or your fitness for study or participation in the Northwestern community