Registration Information

See below for important information about registering for Undergraduate courses at SPS, including registration timelines, adding and dropping courses you are already registered for, and auditing courses. All students register for courses using the CAESAR student registration and records system.

For additional information, contact the SPS Office of the Registrar.

New Student Registration

A meeting with an academic and career adviser is encouraged for new students prior to registering for courses. Academic advisers work with students by email or during pre-scheduled appointments by phone, online conference, or in-person meetings on the Chicago campus. To make an appointment with an academic adviser, email the advising team at spsacademicadvising@northwestern.edu.

How to register:

  1. Complete the admissions process and receive notification of acceptance.
  2. Choose your courses from your approved program of study and calculate your tuition. View tuition information.
  3. New students register for courses in CAESAR. A valid Northwestern University NetID and password are required to access the system. Log in to CAESAR using the NetID and activation code that will be sent to you 5-7 business days after completing the registration form.
  4. Make a tuition deposit in CAESAR. See the instructions for making a payment on CAESAR. Northwestern University School of Professional Studies requires undergraduate students to pay 60% tuition plus 100% of fees at the time of registration. Northwestern employees must pay 100% tuition plus 100% of fees minus their benefits at the time of registration.
  5. You will receive a confirmation email once you have made your payment. Once you receive it, forward the email to confirm@northwestern.edu. After SPS receives your payment confirmation or proof of payment, you will be activated in CAESAR. This means that you will have access to use CAESAR to enroll in your selected course(s). Students cannot be activated to register for courses in CAESAR without first making a tuition payment. If you do not receive your payment confirmation email within 48 hours, email confirm@northwestern.edu.
  6. You will receive another email confirmation notifying you once you are activated in CAESAR and can register for courses. See the instructions for adding courses.

Current and Returning Student Registration

Current and returning students register for courses in CAESAR. A valid Northwestern University NetID and password are required to access the system. Students are encouraged to register at the earliest possible date. A $75 late registration fee is applied once the late registration period starts.

Registration Dates

Fall 2025:

  • July 7, 2025 - registration opens
  • September 8, 2025 - late registration starts

Winter 2026:

  • November 10, 2025 - registration opens
  • December 23, 2025 - late registration starts

Spring 2026:

  • February 23, 2026 - registration opens
  • March 16, 2026 - late registration starts

Summer 2026:

  • April 6, 2026 - registration opens
  • June 22, 2025 - late registration starts

A $75 late registration fee is applied once the late registration period starts.

See the Academic Calendar for all dates and deadlines.

Adding/Dropping Courses

All students (new and current) can change their registration status through CAESAR (add/drop, credit/audit). If you are withdrawing from all of your courses for the quarter, CAESAR will not allow you to drop the last remaining course on your schedule. Instead, you must fill out the Change of Registration Form. Do not send registration change requests to the course instructor or to the Office of Student Accounts; changes to registration can only be made in CAESAR.

Students who drop courses or withdraw from SPS may be eligible for a tuition refund, less any nonrefundable fees and deposits. The tuition refund policy is applied as of the date the request is received. For more information on refund policy when a course is dropped or for a withdrawal, contact the Office of Student Accounts.

See the academic calendar for add/drop deadlines.

Auditing Courses

Certain undergraduate courses may be audited. Students who audit do not receive a grade or credit; they attend all classes and participate in discussions but do not submit graded coursework. Most courses in the following subject areas may not be audited: accounting, art, English writing courses, information systems, journalism, foreign languages, mathematics, physics, statistics, and theatre. Some individual courses in other subject areas also may not be audited. See the Undergraduate Programs course schedule for details.

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