To transfer between Schools at Northwestern, students should review the policies, procedures, and deadlines for applying for an interschool transfer (IST), and schedule an appointment with the relevant academic advisor by contacting the undergraduate office of the School of interest. You will need to enter the date of your advising meeting into the electronic application.  The Northwestern policies, procedures, deadline, and link to the electronic IST form are available at: https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/registration-graduation/transfer-and-test-credit/interschool-transfer.html 

 Northwestern students are allowed to transfer freely between schools if they are in good academic standing with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above, and if there is room available in the proposed major. Note that transferring between Schools may sometimes result in an increase in the time it takes to complete degree requirements, so you should discuss degree requirements, course plans, and time to degree during your academic advising meeting.  

Interschool Transfer Into the School of Communication 

To interschool transfer into the School of Communication, schedule an appointment with an SoC academic advisor by contacting the SoC Office of Undergraduate Programs and Advising (dear-soc@northwestern.edu; 847-491-7214). Students should schedule their appointment several days in advance of the deadline, as advisors’ schedules book up quickly that week.  

Note that the Department of Theatre limits each class to 100; for this reason, students are not guaranteed they will be able to transfer into Theatre. Students interested in majoring in Theatre can request to be added to the waitlist by contacting the SoC Office of Undergraduate Programs and Advising (dear-soc@northwestern.edu; 847-491-7214).  

Interschool Transfer Out of the School of Communication 

When transferring out of the School of Communication, students are encouraged to notify their SoC academic advisor that they will be leaving SoC. An SoC administrator will approve your request to IST out, but you are still responsible for following the remaining instructions for the school you wish to enter. 

Finalizing the Interschool Transfer 

Interschool transfers may be nullified either for failure to meet the GPA requirement or for an academic integrity violation. Approval or nullification of IST applications occurs at the end of the application quarter, after final grades have been posted. If approved, the IST will appear on the student’s record at the beginning of the following quarter (i.e., an IST that is processed and approved in the fall becomes official at the start of winter quarter begins. However, the student will be able to pre-register for classes in their new school/major during the quarter that they submit their application. 

Rescinding the Interschool Transfer 

Occasionally a student submits an IST application, then realizes before the end of the quarter that they would rather remain in their current School. In these cases, prior to the end of the quarter students can fill out and submit the Petition to Rescind an Interschool Transfer. For an SoC signature, email dear-soc@northwestern.edu.