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Transfer Credits from Non-NU Institutions

Posted by cac3791

Transfer Credit 

Students may transfer in courses taken at another institution, and apply them toward their Northwestern degree. However, the number of courses that may be taken at another institution is limited by the Undergraduate Registration Requirement (URR), and depends on whether a student matriculates as a first year or a transfer student, as well as whether a student is enrolled in a single or dual degree program. Details of the URR, including how many NU credits and quarters are required, can be found at the registrar’s Undergraduate Registration Requirements page.

Northwestern has a number of policies regarding what courses may or may not transfer, and SoC has additional policies on how transfer credit may be applied to the SoC degree. To view these policies, please visit the SoC Policies page of the university catalog. 

Application of Transfer Credits toward Distribution Requirements

If you receive credit for a course that closely approximates one taught at Northwestern, then the relevant course number will be indicated on your credit evaluation, and it may count toward distribution requirements in the same manner as its Northwestern equivalent, subject to the transfer credit limits specified by Northwestern and SoC policy.

If you receive credit for a course that does not closely match any Northwestern course, then just the department name and the course level (1XX, 2XX, or 3XX) will be indicated. These general credits may count toward distribution requirements towards SoC distribution as indicated in the table below, subject to the transfer credit limits specified by Northwestern and SoC policy.

SubjectCourse NumberSoC Distribution Category
ANTHRO2XX or 3XXISB
ASTRON1XX, 2XX, or 3XXMST
BIOL_SCI1XX, 2XX, or 3XXMST
CHEM1XX, 2XX, or 3XXMST
COMP_LIT1XX, 2XX, or 3XXHFA
COMP_SCI1XX, 2XX, or 3XXMST
ECON2XX or 3XXISB
HISTORY1XX, 2XX, or 3XXISB
HUM1XX, 2XX, or 3XXHFA
MATH1XX, 2XX, or 3XXMST
NAT_SCI2XX, or 3XXMST
PHIL1XX, 2XX, or 3XXHFA
PHYSICS1XX, 2XX, or 3XXMST
POLI_SCI1XX, 2XX, or 3XXISB
PSYCH1XX, 2XX, or 3XXISB
RELIGION1XX, 2XX, or 3XXHFA
SOCIOL1XX, 2XX, or 3XXISB
STAT1XX, 2XX, or 3XXMST

Transferring Credit After Enrolling at NU

Students who wish to take courses at other universities after matriculation must obtain approval from the relevant department and their advisor to transfer the credit back to NU. The procedures and forms to request approval for transferring in credit for courses taken at another institution are available at the registrar’s Transfer Credit after Matriculation page. Note that the procedures for transferring in domestic versus study abroad credit differ. 

Transferring Credit As An Incoming Transfer Student 

When a student transfers to Northwestern, NU’s Office of the Registrar evaluates all credit taken at any previous institution(s) and posts the appropriate transfer credits to the NU transcript. Additional details regarding policies and procedures can be found by viewing the Incoming Transfer Students page.

Credit from Study Abroad

Courses taken while on an affiliated study abroad program are usually transferable back to NU. See the webpage on Study Abroad for details on policies and procedures for transferring in credit from a study abroad program.

AP/IB Credit Articulation

SoC allows AP/IB credits to count toward distribution or elective course requirements. To view policies and allocation rules regarding the counting of AP/IB credits, please visit our catalog page. The lists further below indicate how specific AP/IB credits might be applied to distribution requirements.