Academic calendar

The Quarter System

Under the quarter system, the academic year is divided into three 10-week terms and a summer session of eight weeks. Fall Quarter typically begins in mid-September and ends in early December. Winter quarter is from early January until the middle of March, and Spring quarter runs from late March to early June.

The quarter system allows students to take a greater number of courses and tends to encourage participation in internships and other off-campus learning experiences. At Northwestern, students take, on average, four courses per quarter or twelve per academic year. Most students on the semester system take 10 courses per year.

The vast majority of freshmen find that while the pace of learning is quicker than in high school, adjusting to the quarter system is not a problem, as reflected in the fact that 98 percent of Northwestern freshmen return for their sophomore year.

Academic Calendar

Special Features