Registration & Payment Information
Registration for all Professional Development courses is handled through the Northwestern University registration system, CAESAR. Find information regarding registration policies and troubleshooting registration issues for Professional Development courses.
Registration Policies
Deadlines
Students can register for a course up to and including the first day of class.
Dropping Courses and Refunds
Students may drop a noncredit course at any time by logging into CAESAR. Dropping a course after it starts will result in no refund to the student. Unless otherwise noted in a course listing, tuition will be refunded in full if a student drops the course prior to the course start date.
Course Cancellation
The university reserves the right to cancel classes due to insufficient enrollments, illness, severe weather or other emergencies. In the event of cancellation, registrants will be notified immediately and all fees refunded.
Auditing Courses
Professional Development courses cannot be audited.
Payment Policies
Tuition and Fees
100% of tuition is due at the time of registration. If your payment is returned for any reason, a $35 service fee will be charged.
Financial Aid
Students in non-degree seeking programs are not eligible for federal loans, but may qualify for a private loan to offset tuition charges. Private loan eligibility may vary by lender and student.
Northwestern is an approved institution for the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, so eligible students may use that scholarship program for Professional Development coursework. Professional Development programs do not qualify for benefits under Workforce Development, the Department of Veteran Affairs or the Department of Defense.
Students who intend to use tuition reimbursement benefits provided through their employer should contact their employer directly to determine eligibility for non-credit-bearing, non-degree coursework before beginning the payment and registration process with Professional Development Programs. (Students whose employers provide a check or letter of credit toward tuition will need to register via registration form and should send payment together with the form to the SPS Registrar's Office. For details, please contact the SPS Registrar's Office or the Office of Professional Development.)
Please contact the Chicago Office of Financial Aid for any questions regarding financial aid available to non-degree seeking students and for details on the application process.
Benefits-eligible full-time Northwestern employees may use Employee Reduced Tuition Benefits for School of Professional Studies non-credit professional development certificate programs, upon approval of their Tuition Reimbursement Application. In order to receive your tuition benefit, you must submit a completed application to the NU Benefits Division within the calendar year for which your benefit is being requested. If you do not submit the benefit form, you will be responsible for paying the entire tuition amount. For further assistance, please contact the Office of Human Resources.
Certificate Process
Students may request a Certificate of Completion from the SPS Registrar's Office once all required program courses have been successfully completed. For instructions, please visit our FAQ page.
Questions?
Questions about registration can be directed to the School of Professional Studies Registrar's Office:
pdp-reg@northwestern.edu
phone: 312-503-6951