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Summer Academic Workshop (SAW)

Northwestern University's Summer Academic Workshop (SAW) is a three-week program designed to equip students with the tools to thrive at Northwestern. Students will earn credit for one (1) English 100 writing course designed to strengthen their writing skills, and gain key insights and resources to help them successfully navigate the university.

SAW is Completely Free!

Housing, meals, and social activities are completely covered through the Office of the Provost. Students and families are only expected to pay for personal items and transportation* to campus.

*One-way airfare is provided to participants living more than five hours from the Chicagoland area. Participants living within five hours of the Chicagoland area who need transportation support should contact Robert Brown.  


Important Dates

Housing & Meals

Students will live together in a traditional campus residence hall and experience Northwestern life under the mentorship of six upperclass peer counselors. As a participant, you will also have the opportunity to move into your permanent residence hall earlier than the regular move-in date for incoming students. All meals are provided during the program.

Apply to Participate in SAW

NOTICE: As of 5/7/19 we are aware of multiple issues with the application form and are working diligently behind the scenes to fix this issue.

If you receive the following message, "Invalid Link! Please open the complete URL to resume your saved progress" please do NOT resubmit - we have received your application.

If you are interested in participating in SAW, please complete the application here. The deadline for applying is May 31, 2019. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until space is filled. 

You should be prepared to answer the following questions before starting the application: 

  1. Why do you want to participant in SAW? How do you believe the program will benefit you academically and personally? 
  2. Tell us about a challenging time in your life that you were able to overcome. How do you believe that experience will help you be successful at Northwestern? 
  3. Besides graduation, what is one thing you hope to do or achieve at Northwestern? This could be anything from making new friends, to participating in research, or any other experience that would be important to you.

Meet the SAW Co-Directors

SAW Counselors