Registration Information

See below for important information about registering for the certificate program and some helpful insight about registration timing and adding and dropping classes.

Deadlines

Each year, SPS posts registration dates and deadlines on its academic calendar. It is your responsibility to register and, if necessary, drop classes by the posted deadlines. No one will do this for you, except in cases where a class is canceled. All students must manage their own registrations and contact the SPS Registrar's Office if questions or problems arise: onlinereg@northwestern.edu or 312-503-3120. Please be aware that CAESAR is not in service during the week before the start of a term, and you may not register during that time.

Register Early

We encourage you to register at the earliest possible date. Some courses fill up very quickly, and early registration will let SPS staff know if an additional section (where possible) is needed. Conversely, students who delay their registration may find that an under-enrolled course has been canceled due to apparent lack of interest. Early registration helps us serve you better.

Adding/Dropping Courses

No student will be registered after the deadlines have passed. Full refunds are only given for classes dropped during the "drop/add" period; no refunds are given thereafter unless you withdraw from the University for the term. For more information on the refund policy for withdrawing from the quarter or dropping a class, contact the Office of Student Accounts (847-491-5224 or 312-503-8503).

All registrations, including adding and dropping classes, must be done online through CAESAR ("Computer Assisted Electronic Student Access Route"). If you are withdrawing from all your classes for the quarter, CAESAR will not let you drop the last remaining course on your schedule. Instead, you must fill out the Graduate Change of Registration Form.