New Student Registration
new transfer and first-year student registration
I. REGISTERING FOR A LANGUAGE WITHOUT PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
If you are beginning a language that you have never studied or used before (including no self-study or use at home), register for the first course of the first-year sequence. Be aware that course numbers vary by language.
In most programs, the course sequence begins in the fall quarter. Please check the individual department home page (Undergraduate > Courses) for the current year’s course schedule. You can find the home department of each language in Language Study page.
II. REGISTERING FOR A LANGUAGE WITH PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
If you already know a language (e.g., studied it in high school, speak at home, lived in a country where the language is spoken, or self-studied), register for the course determined by your placement test result.
If the course is not offered in the fall or if you are unsure about your placement, contact the individual language placement coordinator. Contact information is available in the Language Program Contacts page.
IMPORTANT:
- You must be registered in the course to access CANVAS, the Course Management System at Northwestern.
- Attend the first class meeting. College-level language courses move quickly.
- You may not enroll in a course below your placement result unless your placement was borderline and you have received approval to do so from the language placement coordinator.
FAQs:
- Don’t know your placement?
Log into the Online Language Placement page to check your result. - Can’t find your result?
You may not have completed the entire process (e.g., the validation test may be pending). Check your email for instructions on how to complete the validation test, and contact the language placement coordinator as soon as possible. Their information is available on the Language Program Contacts page. - Using AP/IB scores instead of a placement test?
Follow the instructions on the AP and IB Language Credit page.
Note: Some language programs do not use AP/IB scores for placement or proficiency validation. In that case, you must take the placement test. Test information is available on the Language Placement page.
III. PERMISSION NUMBER FOR NEW TRANSFER AND FIRST-YEAR STUDENT REGISTRATION
Before you register, check whether you need a permission number from the department (see table below). If a permission number is required, you should have received an email with instructions on how to obtain it, or your placement result page has the information. If you are unsure, contact the placement coordinator (see Language Program Contacts).
The following apply only to New Transfer and First-Year Student Registration Periods. For all other registration periods, check CAESAR to see if a permission number is required.
During New Transfer and First-Year Student Registration
LANGUAGE |
PERMISSION NUMBER REQUIREMENT | |
| NEW TRANSFER Students | NEW FIRST-YEAR Students | |
| CHINESE | Required | Required for CHINESE 211, 215, 311, 315; Not required for CHINESE 121-1, 125-1 |
| FRENCH | Required | Rrequired for FRENCH 210/211 and above |
| ARABIC | Required | Required |
| GERMAN | Required | Required |
| HINDI-URDU | Required | Required |
| JAPANESE | Required | Required |
| KOREAN | Required | Required |
| HEBREW | Required | Not Required |
| ALL OTHER LANGUAGES | Not Required | Not Required |
IV. NEED MORE INFORMATION?
- Language placement coordinator contacts: Language Program Contacts
- Annual course offering schedule: Undergraduate > Courses on each department homepage (linked at the bottom of the Language Study page
- Fall class schedule: CAESAR
- If you have read everything above carefully and still do not know what to do, please contact the Language Resource Center at languageresourcecenter@northwestern.edu. Please include your School affiliation (e.g., Weinberg, Communication, Medill) in your message.