It's a great day to be a Wildcat!
Now that you've been admitted, there are a few things you need to do to get started as a Northwestern student.
Activate Your NetID
Your personal NetID is used to sign into University systems. Please refer to the NetID letter included in your acceptance packet for additional information on how you can use your NetID.
If there was not a NetID letter included in your acceptance packet, it is because you already have a NetID established as a previous student or as a Northwestern employee. If you need assistance accessing your account or have forgotten your password, contact the SPS Help Desk.
Set Up Your Northwestern Email Account
Your Northwestern.edu email address is where you will receive all official communications from Northwestern, including from your instructors and your academic advisor. Once you have activated your NetID, you can establish your Northwestern.edu email account. Reviewing the information that you receive in your Northwestern email account is critical to your successful start at the university, so please make setting it up and checking it regularly a priority. If you would like to forward the messages that you receive to an inbox that you check more often, go to the Northwestern Webmail site and click on "Set up email forwarding," and follow the instructions on the screen.
Join the New Student Online Orientation
Join and participate in the online New Student Orientation course. The SPS New Student Orientation takes place virtually in Northwestern's learning management system, Canvas, which you will use for all of your courses to prepare you for the look and feel of SPS courses. Your academic advisor will be your instructor for this orientation course to give you any specialized support that you may need. In the orientation course, you will learn about the essentials of your academic program and resources to help you succeed as a Northwestern student, participate in discussion boards, answer quiz questions, and watch videos—just as you will do in your actual courses.
The orientation course is non-credit and ungraded, but we strongly recommend that you complete it prior to beginning the first classes in your academic program to help you have a successful start to your first term.
You can join the Orientation course for your program here.
Obtain a Wildcard Student ID
Your Northwestern student ID, called a Wildcard, allows access to University buildings, shuttles, services, and student discounts for local and national businesses. Students are required to upload a recent photo and request a Wildcard to meet the SPS Identity Verification policy.
Please click here to submit your Wildcard request and upload a recent photo.
Submitting this form fulfills the Identity Verification requirement. Please note that you will not need to obtain a physical copy of your Wildcard to meet identity verification requirements. A physical copy of your Wildcard is recommended if you plan on attending classes on campus to ensure access to University buildings.
The physical copy of your Wildcard can be picked up at the Evanston or Chicago campus Wildcard Offices. You can make an appointment through the Wildcard Office website. If you do not live in the Chicagoland area and are unable to pick up your Wildcard, please complete this form, and your Wildcard will be mailed to you within one academic term.
Please note that if a student does not have a Wildcard, a registration hold will be placed on their account, preventing them from enrolling in any future term until they complete the Wildcard request.Prepare to Enroll in Courses
Before enrolling in your first courses, it is important to determine when you will enroll and what you will enroll in. Students enroll in classes during the Registration period, which begins six weeks before the start of the quarter and continues through the first week of classes. The exact dates for the registration period and the start of each academic quarter can be found on the SPS academic calendar.
When planning what courses you will take, it is crucial to know the academic requirements for your academic program, referred to as the curriculum.
- The curriculum for each undergraduate program (e.g., Health Sciences, BS) is available on the Undergraduate Programs page of the SPS Academic Catalog.
- The curriculum for each graduate program (e.g., Data Science, MS) is available on the Graduate Programs page of the SPS Academic Catalog.
- The curriculum for each certificate program (e.g., Advanced Accounting, Certificate) is available on the Certificates page of the SPS Academic Catalog.
Understand the Tuition for Your Program and Get Financial Aid if Needed
Tuition and other costs to plan for (e.g., books, transportation, etc.) for your program are detailed on the SPS Graduate Program Tuition and SPS Undergraduate Program Tuition pages of the Northwestern Chicago Office of Financial Aid website.
If you plan on utilizing Financial Aid to help pay for your academic program*, we recommend that you follow the Northwestern Financial Aid team's guide for application steps for aid. Many financial aid questions are answered in the FAQs for SPS Students section of the Northwestern Chicago Office of Financial Aid website. If you have other questions or want someone to help you through the process, visit the Chicago Financial Aid Contact page to schedule an appointment or email the financial aid team.
New undergraduate students must pay a tuition deposit or confirm financial aid before they are able to register for classes. Information about calculating your deposit and how to make the payment in CAESAR is available in the billing and payment section of CAESAR's how-to guides.
To discuss fees, billings, and payments, please contact the Chicago campus Tuition and Fees Accounts team in the Northwestern Student Finance office. If you are planning on using reimbursement from your employer to help pay for your program, please visit the Employer Reimbursement page of the Student Finance website.
* Noncredit Professional Development and Post-baccalaureate students (with the exception of those in the Professional Health Careers programs) are not eligible for financial aid.
Enroll in Courses in CAESAR
Once you have determined what to take and the registration period has started, you can enroll in classes in CAESAR. CAESAR is the online university-wide system that facilitates registration, financial aid, and tuition payments. Students can view course descriptions, add and drop courses, view grade reports and their transcript, pay their tuition, and see their degree progress in CAESAR.
When you first login to CAESAR, you will need to enter your emergency contact information in CAESAR to have access to enroll in a course. If you have difficulty, please follow these guides for instructions on how to update your emergency contact information.
With your emergency contact information entered, you can search for and enroll in courses. The CAESAR Registration Tip Sheet is a good guide to follow to help you navigate the system. In orientation, you will receive detailed instructions on how to register using CAESAR. You can also reference the CAESAR how-to guides to walk you through how to register, add and drop courses, and use other functions of CAESAR.
When registering, please know that any SPS courses that are taught on-campus courses are marked with a suffix of "0" (for example, Leaders 481-0) and online courses are marked with a suffix of "DL" (for example, Leaders 481-DL).
We encourage students to enroll in courses early, as SPS courses cannot be wait-listed.
Complete Immunization Requirements
Students taking two or more courses in-person are required to meet immunization requirements before the start of classes. This includes submitting the Student Immunization Form and proof of immunizations as required by the State of Illinois.
Distance learners that will never attend on-campus classes in Evanston or Chicago are not required to submit immunization records.
Visit the Immunization Requirements page and the Immunization FAQ for additional information and to upload your immunization records to the NU Personal Health Portal. If you have any questions, please contact the Northwestern Medicine Student Health Services Chicago Office.
NOTE: Penalties for not fulfilling health requirements by the start of classes include a hold on subsequent registration and a non-refundable $100 late fee. See the Requirement Deadlines page for more information.
Order Textbooks
The books and other course materials required for your class will be listed in your syllabus, available to you at the start of the academic quarter. To see what course materials are required before that time, please visit the Northwestern University Online Bookstore "Find Course Materials" page.
Just enter the term (e.g., Fall 2024), the department (subject, e.g., MPPA for students in the MA in Public Policy and Administration program), course number, and section. The page will show you any required course materials that you can buy new, used, or rent for your use in the term.