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: https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/registration-graduation/graduation-preparation/undergraduate-registration-requirements.html.  

Northwestern has a number of policies regarding what courses may or may not transfer. Make sure to review these policies at: https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/registration-graduation/transfer-and-test-credit/transfer-credit-policies.html 

In addition to university policies, the following rules apply to how transfer credit may be applied to the SoC degree: 

• Transfer credits may count toward elective course requirements. 

• Transfer credits may be eligible to count as distribution courses; however, they must be evaluated by a faculty member in the relevant department, and approved by your advisor.  
• Regardless of the number of domestic transfer, AP/IB, or study abroad credits that are eligible to count as distribution courses, at least one course in each distribution area must be taken at Northwestern. 
• Transfer credits are not permitted to apply for those major requirements that must be taken in the major department (e.g. theatre classes can’t count toward the theatre major, RTVF classes can’t count toward required RTVF courses for the major). Transfer courses in the major department may be accepted as elective credit. 

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 online: https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/registration-graduation/transfer-and-test-credit/transfer-credit-after-enrolling-at-nu.html. 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 at:  https://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/registration-graduation/transfer-and-test-credit/incoming-transfer-students.html 

Credit from Study Abroad 

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