Policy for Transfer of Credit
for Non-Northwestern Courses

1. The transfer institution must be accredited by a national accrediting body; consult the institution’s catalog to confirm that it is accredited.
2. No video, television, internet, or correspondence courses are accepted at Northwestern University.
3. Only courses with a grade of C or better will be accepted in transfer (see exception for SESP post matriculation).
4. No transfer of credit for grade of P or S without special permission.
5. Credit for college-level course work completed prior to graduation from high school must be specially approved (application form ). The course must be a bona fide college course offered on a college campus and attended primarily by duly matriculated college students. It must not be part of the student’s high school program, nor fulfill any requirement for the high school diploma.
6. All international study must go through the Study Abroad Office.
7. After matriculation and prior to the final three quarters of residence at Northwestern University, a maximum of four transfer credits from other domestic colleges or universities may be earned. *
8. After matriculation, transfer of any non-Northwestern credit must be granted advance approval by the student’s College/School:
• Application form for students in Communication, Medill, Music, and SESP
• Policy statement for students in McCormick
• Policy statement and application form for students in WCAS
9. A transfer student may not transfer additional domestic non-Northwestern courses. To determine if study abroad transfer may be possible, consult your degree auditor.
10. Non-transfer students may earn up to one quarter of Undergraduate Residence Requirement (see pg. 23 of the Undergraduate Catalog) credit for domestic non-Northwestern courses and up to three quarters of URR credit for study abroad. The total exemptions from all sources for the URR may never exceed three quarters. Please consult the University Residence Requirement Policy in the Undergraduate Catalog for the explanation of the complete policy.
11. Post Matriculation transfer of two year or community college credit:

    • No credit accepted: Communication and WCAS
    • No credit after sophomore year: Medill and Music
    • Credit accepted with approval and B grade or higher: SESP
    • Credit accepted with approval: McCormick

*SESP permits transfer of credit during the final three quarters of residence as long as it complies with the University Residence Requirement.

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