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Chicago Metropolitan Exchange Program (CMEP)

The Chicago Metropolitan Exchange Program (CMEP) allows students enrolled in a PhD program to take advantage of academic offerings not available at a student’s home institution by registering for courses at a partner institution.

 The three participating institutions are: 

  • Northwestern University
  • The University of Chicago (UChicago)
  • University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)

CMEP Policies

Application Process for Northwestern Students

  1. A student identifies a course(s) at a CMEP partner institution (UChicago, UIC) that will enhance their educational experience and is not offered at Northwestern University.
  2. The student contacts their Northwestern advisor to confirm the course is appropriate for their degree of study.
  3. The student contacts the course instructor, typically by email, requesting permission to enroll.
  4. If the course instructor and the student’s advisor approve, the student completes a Chicago Metropolitan Exchange Program Application and obtains digital signatures on the form from their Northwestern advisor and their program’s director of graduate studies. Note: the student does not need to obtain signatures from the host school.
  5. The student emails their completed form to the Northwestern CMEP coordinator.
  6. The Northwestern CMEP coordinator signs and sends the application form to the host school CMEP coordinator. The host school circulates the application for review.
  7. If all parties approve, the student is notified via email by the host school that their application has been accepted. The host school will provide directives regarding onboarding and registration.
  8. Once the student is enrolled in the course, the Northwestern CMEP coordinator enrolls the student in CME 585, a placeholder course at Northwestern which is updated after the quarter ends to reflect the host school course name and grade.
  9. When the student completes the course at the host institution and receives a grade, an official transcript will be provided to Northwestern University. The NU transcript will be updated to reflect the host school course information and final grade.
  10. Students who need to drop a course at a host institution must:
    1. Consult with the host school coordinator to determine if a drop is allowed.
    2. If permitted, make a formal request to the host institution to drop the course.
    3. Notify the Northwestern CMEP coordinator that the course at the host institution has been dropped (only after the drop is confirmed by the host institution).

Application Deadlines

Northwestern students must submit completed applications signed by their NU advisor and their program’s director of graduate studies to the Northwestern CMEP coordinator by the following deadlines: 

Courses at the University of Chicago
  • Winter Quarter 2027: November 15, 2026
  • Spring Quarter 2027: February 14, 2027

Courses at the University of Illinois Chicago

  • Spring Semester 2027: November 30, 2026

CMEP Campus Coordinators

Northwestern University
Kristine Emrich
Associate Director of Student Services
The Graduate School
kristine.emrich@northwestern.edu

The University of Chicago
GRAD Exchange
UChicagoGRAD
gradexchange@uchicago.edu

University of Illinois at Chicago
Vianney Calderon
Assistant Director for Academic Services
Graduate College
vcalde7@uic.edu