Skip to main content
Northwestern University

Transferring Credit from Abroad

Meet with your College Adviser as soon as possible upon return to Northwestern to review the credit transfer process.

IMPORTANT: You cannot submit your petition for credit until your abroad credits have posted to your NU transcript, so check your unofficial NU transcript on CAESAR to be sure they have before going on to the next steps.

Obtain a copy of your study abroad transcript. Please note that the Global Learning Office generally does not receive transcripts from study abroad programs until 1-2 months after you return.

If you only want elective credits from your courses abroad, you need not take further action.  The credits will post on your Northwestern record once the Registrar’s Office receives your study abroad transcript.  They will appear as GEN_CRED 1XX.

To request to designate credits as something other than electives

Complete the appropriate Petition for Credit form, links below. For each course requested, you will need to attach:

  1. a copy of the transcript from abroad;
  2. the course description;
  3. the abroad syllabus;
  4. the reading list.

Please note:

Watch your Academic Requirements report on CAESAR to see that the changes post correctly.

Major or Minor Credit: If you are seeking credit towards your major or minor, download the WCAS Petition for Major or Minor Credits from Abroad. Only complete the parts of the application to be filled out by students. You will need to attach a copy of your study abroad transcript along with the completed form. Email the form, the transcript, and supporting materials, including course descriptions and course syllabi, to your major or minor adviser. Do a separate form for each major or minor. Your major/minor adviser(s) will complete the appropriate section of the form and sign it. Your major/minor adviser should then email the completed form to nu-transfer-credit@northwestern.edu.

Distribution Credit: If you are seeking distribution credit, download the WCAS Petition for Distribution Credit from Abroad. Only complete the parts of the application to be filled out by students. You will need to attach a copy of your study abroad transcript along with the completed form. Email the form, the transcript, and supporting documents, including course descriptions and course syllabi, to wcas-forms@northwestern.edu. The dean's office will evaluate the petition and notify you of the outcome. Please allow two to three weeks for this processing.

NOTE: If you participated in a Northwestern-run program and enrolled in regular Northwestern courses while abroad, you do not need to go through this process, as your courses already count as NU work.  Here's a list of NU programs with NU courses.  Be aware that these courses are subject to the same rules and restrictions as the same numbered courses taught in Evanston. If the particular course, when taught at NU, is a distribution course, it automatically will be so when taught abroad. If the course has not been approved by the College for distribution requirement credit, it will not count that way, though you may apply to use such a course as part of a 2-for-1 distribution requirement substitution. Contact your College Adviser. Any courses you wish to count toward a major or minor which do not appear properly on your Academic Requirements on CAESAR can be slotted there when you petition to graduate.

Back to top