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Independent Programs

Before you begin the independent program petition process, consider the following:

  • You cannot use your financial aid (including all forms of scholarships, grants, and loans) to participate in an independent program or attend an independent foreign institution. Read more about financial considerations for independent programs at the bottom of this page.

  • You must pay the Northwestern Study Abroad Administrative Fee (SAAF) for any quarter(s) on the program. The SAAF rate is $5,000 for a program during the academic year and $2,500 during the summer.

  • GLO is not able to provide specialized program advising for independent programs. If you opt to petition for an independent program, it is your responsibility to research and identify program options.

Deadlines to appeal for permission to do an independent program:

Term Deadline
Fall, Fall-Winter, Full Year & Summer January 15
Winter, Winter-Spring, & Spring April 15

You must begin your petition well in advance of regular GLO Deadlines, since pursuing an Independent program requires you to do a significant amount of research. You also need to allow time for your petition to be reviewed before the regular GLO application deadline.

If you have questions about petitioning for an independent program, contact Jessica Fetridge.

Overview

Northwestern strongly encourages students to apply to study abroad on Northwestern programs or partner programs, which have been vetted and approved by the University Study Abroad Committee (USAC) and the Office of Global Safety and Security (OGSS). We have close working relationships with our programs and deem them to be of high quality in terms of academic rigor, housing, cultural immersion, administrative support services, health, safety, and security. 

If you have specialized academic needs that cannot be met by one of our many approved options, you may be granted permission to apply to an independent program; however, if your academic needs can be met by an existing approved program, your petition is unlikely to be approved. You are responsible for making an argument that your proposed program is uniquely valuable to your academic experience. Your petition must include clear academic objectives and compelling academic reasons. Petitions for programs that largely duplicate existing programs or locations are not normally approved. 

Important considerations:

  • The program must meet the same standards and adhere to the principles that guide study abroad at Northwestern.
  • The program of interest must be academically rigorous and provide a high degree of cultural integration and linguistic immersion (when applicable). The program must be accredited and meet the language course requirement (in countries where English is not the national language).

  • Non-academic reasons will not be approved. These include, but are not limited to: having a desire to live in a specific city, following a family tradition and/or visiting family, studying abroad with a friend from another institution, seeking less expensive options, etc.

  • Petitions for programs that largely duplicate existing programs or locations are not normally approved.

  • Independent programs offering non-transferable courses will not be approved.
    • Examples include:
      • Courses covering subject matter not taught in Northwestern's undergraduate curriculum (e.g., wine tasting, cooking, fashion design, etc.)
      • Courses taken abroad on a "pass/fail" basis
      • Courses worth less than 2 semester credits or less than 2 ECTS
      • Online courses taken abroad at a foreign institution

  • Multi-location programs are rarely approved on an independent basis. Semester at Sea or the equivalent will not be approved under any circumstances.

  • It is unlikely that permission will be granted to apply to an independent program offered during Winter Quarter or Spring Quarter only if that program exists as an approved option in another location or another term. For example, although CIEE offers their Open Campus programs in multiple locations, Northwestern students may only participate in the approved  program. 

While GLO recognizes that these factors may be important aspects of a study abroad experience to some students, they are not sufficient to override the combination of criteria reflected in our approved program offerings.

Independent Application Process

Step 1: Submit a Petition

  • After thoroughly reviewing this webpage, complete the Independent Program Petition (select term and then click continue) by the appropriate deadline:
    • Fall, Fall-Winter, Full Year, & Summer programs: January 15
    • Winter, Winter-Spring, & Spring programs: April 15
  • Submit a minimum 3-paragraph rationale describing how studying on the independent program will enhance your academic career at Northwestern. The petition requires you to:
    • Do a significant amount of research into the academic, financial, and student services aspects of the program or foreign institution to help you ensure that it will be a good fit for you. 

Your request will be reviewed by Jessica Fetridge, Senior Associate Director, and you will receive a decision as soon as possible.

Step 2: Complete the GLO application

If your petition is approved, you will be given instructions for completing the GLO application by the appropriate deadline. 

Step 3: Apply to your study abroad program by their published deadline

In addition to applying for permission to study abroad on the independent option through Northwestern, you will also need to apply directly to the program or institution by its deadline. It is your responsibility to apply to your selected program by their deadline.

 

Financial Considerations

If you are considering or approved to attend an independent study abroad program, you should consider all of the financial implications and plan accordingly.

Study Abroad Fee & Billing

Students who attend independent study abroad programs must pay the Northwestern Study Abroad Administrative Fee (SAAF) and the BCBS Global Insurance fee for all quarter(s) on the program. The SAAF and insurance fees will be billed on the regular Northwestern quarterly invoice schedule.

You will not be billed for Northwestern tuition while attending independent study abroad programs. Study abroad tuition and all other program expenses must be paid directly to the program sponsor or host institution.

NU-SHIP Insurance

Because you are not considered enrolled at Northwestern during independent study abroad, you may not be eligible to enroll in the NU-SHIP health plan, particularly if your program will be (or begin) during the NU fall quarter. In this case, you may contact the NU health insurance office directly to inquire about enrolling in the health plan beginning in January; your charges may be prorated for your 9-month enrollment in the plan.

Note: This is Northwestern's domestic student health plan. You will still be required to meet Northwestern's international study abroad health insurance requirements while abroad.

Financial Aid & Loans

Students who attend independent study abroad programs are not considered enrolled in any credits at Northwestern while abroad. Financial aid cannot be processed for students who are not enrolled; as a result, no financial assistance is available through Northwestern for students who participate in independent programs or attend independent foreign institutions. This includes (but is not limited to): federal loans, federal/state grants, Northwestern scholarships, National Merit scholarships, athletic scholarships, outside scholarships, parent/private loans, and other forms of aid. It is not possible to grant any exceptions to this policy under any circumstances.

Additionally, any previous education loans currently in deferment may enter repayment while attending an independent program (see below).

Loan Repayment

Because you will not be considered enrolled at Northwestern while attending an independent program, any previous student or parent education loans currently in deferment may enter repayment while you are away.

  • student loans have a of 6 months. If you will not be enrolled at Northwestern for two consecutive quarters (including summer – e.g., June through December), you will likely exhaust your full 6-month grace period.
  • The has a grace period of 9 months. If you will not be enrolled at Northwestern for three consecutive quarters (including summer), you will likely exhaust your full 9-month grace period.
  • For information on your Federal Parent PLUS Loan or private loans, contact your loan servicer directly.
  • You can always view your most current federal loan amounts and repayment status in the .

When you re-enroll at Northwestern, your loans should again be eligible for "," meaning that you would not need to make loan payments while enrolled at least half-time. However, keep in mind that if you exhaust your full grace period, you may be required to make payments on your loans during any future periods of non-enrollment (including summer), and you will likely need to begin making payments immediately after you graduate.

Students receiving financial assistance are strongly encouraged to apply to approved programs. Your study abroad and financial aid advisers are more than happy to advise you on which programs meet your academic needs and personal goals.

If you have any questions about how attending an independent program might impact your existing aid or loans, please contact the Financial Aid Office.

Transferring Credit upon Return

Like students who participate in approved study abroad programs, study abroad credit is treated as transfer credit for students who have been approved to participate in independent programs. The will review the program/foreign institution transcript and assign general, elective credit as long as students enrolled in transferable courses, took courses for official letter grades (not Pass/Fail), and earned the equivalent of a "C" or above. Read more about credit transfer procedures.

You may be required to request an external evaluation by Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) following completion of your program to be able to transfer credit back to Northwestern. Refer to the  page of the Office of the Registrar for more information.