Taking Classes at Other U.S. Institutions
Weinberg College students sometimes want to take classes at other U.S. institutions. For example, a student might take a class while working in their hometown during the summer. (Note: international students wishing to take courses at a university in their home country during the summer will follow a similar process as described below. Please see the Registrar's policy on transferring non-Northwestern credits for details.)
Before you take a class elsewhere
Understand College and University policies
If you want to take a class at another U.S. institution and transfer the credit to Northwestern, you should first read Northwestern's policies on transferring non-Northwestern credits. Be sure to read the general and school-specific policies carefully! They provide important information governing whether credit can be transferred to Northwestern and toward which requirements it can count. Among the key rules are the following:
- Classes taken at other U.S. institutions after matriculation at Northwestern cannot be used to fulfill the Language Proficiency Requirement. They may also not be counted toward the Weinberg College Distribution Requirements, nor (for students who matriculate after Spring 2023) for the Foundational Discipline, Perspectives on Power, Justice and Equity, and Advanced Expression Requirements.
- Credit earned at a two-year or community college after matriculation at Northwestern cannot count toward a Weinberg degree.
- The University Registration Requirement (URR) limits the total amount of non-Northwestern credit that can be counted toward an undergraduate degree from Northwestern.
- Students may not register concurrently at Northwestern and another institution and receive transfer credit unless permission is granted in advance by the dean. This includes online and asynchronous courses. Weinberg College rarely grants permission for concurrent enrollment requests. Students should speak to their College adviser before enrolling in any courses that overlap with a term in which they are enrolled at Northwestern, including summer.
Petition to count credit before you take the class
The online Post-Matriculation Transfer Course Proposal form can be accessed through the Registrar's webpage on Transfer Credit After Matriculation.
- Your petition must be approved by an adviser in the department or program offering comparable classes at Northwestern.
- If you hope to count the class toward a major, minor, or certificate, it must also be approved by an adviser in that department or program.
Once you complete your section of the online form, it will be routed to relevant offices for approval. You may need to meet with an adviser as part of the approval process.
Credit for online courses taken after matriculation is subject to the same University and College restrictions as other non-Northwestern coursework. Some Weinberg College departments and programs have special policies regarding transfer credit for online courses.
After you take a class elsewhere
Be sure to have an official transcript sent to Northwestern. Here's the address to use:
Northwestern University
Office of the Registrar
Attn: Transfer Credit
633 Clark Street
Evanston, IL 60208-1118
It is the responsibility of the student to check with the Registrar's Office to see that a transcript has been received.
This webpage was revised in Fall 2012 to reflect new policies and procedures, in Fall 2014 to reflect policy on online coursework, and in Winter 2023 to link to the updated Registrar form. Text revision in Summer 2022 adds information that will pertain to students who matriculate after Spring 2023 and follow updated degree requirements.