IMPORTANT NOTE: The deadlines for making enrollment adjustments (adding, dropping and withdrawing from courses) that affect your tuition are not necessarily the same as the deadlines to add and drop classes for academic reasons. To determine how adding and dropping classes will affect your tuition bill, it is important to look at the student finance deadlines. This is particularly true for coursework taken in summer, during which the timing of course offerings is extremely varied. The Student Finance Withdrawal Calculator, with separate tabs for the academic year versus summer session, can help you determine what tuition refund you might receive depending on the timing of when you drop or withdraw from a course.
Academic Calendar: https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/calendars/academic-calendars/
Financial Calendar: https://www.northwestern.edu/sfs/help/important-dates.html
Student Finance Withdrawal Calculator: https://www.northwestern.edu/sfs/payments/withdrawing-from-the-university/withdrawal-calculator.html
During the add period (through the end of the first week of each term), you can add yourself to classes via CAESAR. Take note of prerequisites and whether you need permission numbers. Between pre-registration and the beginning of the quarter, you can use CAESAR to enroll yourself in up to 4.68 credits. If you would like to enroll in more than 4.68 credits, you must wait until the first week of classes to do so, and then use CAESAR to enroll yourself. To enroll in 5.5 or more credits requires permission; visit the webpage on Full Time, Part-Time, and Overload Credit for details.
You cannot add yourself to independent studies, internships, honors program classes, or some certificate program classes; visit the relevant webpage for policies and procedures regarding enrolling in those special courses.
Regular Drops
IMPORTANT NOTE: The drop deadline is not the same as the deadline to drop courses from full time to part time (or from overload credits to full time) and receive a partial tuition refund. No refunds will be issued for classes dropped after the tuition adjustment deadline. The tuition adjustment deadline is typically the same as the deadline for adding or swapping a course (end of the first week of classes), but you should always check the university’s academic calendar to verify deadlines: https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/calendars/academic-calendars/
Through the drop deadline, you can drop yourself from a course via CAESAR. Before dropping a class, consult with your academic advisor to determine if dropping the class will impact your degree progress, your Undergraduate Registration Requirement, or your full-time status. Student athletes must see an advisor in athletics to determine their NCAA and NU eligibility requirements and to obtain permission to drop any class. If you drop a class yourself via CAESAR, be sure you log off and log back into CAESAR to check that the drop was successfully completed.
Late Add/Drop
School of Communication students may not late add/drop courses without approval from the Undergraduate Dean. Late add/drops are only granted under specific circumstances.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If your request for a late add results in enrollment in 5.5 or more credits, even if you drop a class later on, you will be charged additional tuition for the overload credit.
If you are worried that you may be failing a course but will not have any graded feedback from the professor prior to the drop deadline, contact your advisor before the drop deadline and let them know the situation; a late drop may be approved in those circumstances.
To request a late add or a late drop, after consulting with your academic advisor, complete the undergraduate “Request to add/drop/P/N” form available at https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/registration-graduation/registration-graduation-forms.html
If it is past the drop deadline, and you encounter an emergency such as a medical condition that seriously affects your physical or mental health, or a serious family emergency, you may request approval for a course withdrawal. Contact your advisor, and visit the Office of the Registrar’s webpage on course withdrawals for details on policies, procedures, and deadlines: https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/registration-graduation/registration/withdrawal.html