North Central College
Programme Details
Minimum mark 60%
Level Undergraduate
Language/s English
Agreement Scope University-wide exchange, check with your department regarding compatibility with your degree programme
Exchange Places 4 full year places for 2025/26
Overview
About:
North Central College (NCC) is a small private liberal arts college in Naperville, Illinois. It has a student population of around 3000. It has 70 areas of study, through 19 academic departments organised into 3 different colleges; Arts and Sciences, Business and Entrepreneurship and Education and Health Sciences. North Central College was founded in 1861 as Plainfield College in Plainfield, Illinois. Classes were first held on November 11 of that year. On February 15, 1864, the Board of Trustees changed the name of the school to North-Western College. The college moved to Naperville in 1870 and the name was again changed in 1926 to North Central College.
Contact at North Central:
Ashley Orihara, aforihara@noctrl.edu
30 North Brainard Street, Naperville, IL 60540, USA
Highlights:
North Central College's ranks 10th in the 2021 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities Midwest. The College jumped three places from last year, equaling its highest ranking since 2018. The Regional Universities Midwest category includes 162 institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate programs, as well as master’s degrees. This is the 27th year in a row that North Central has been listed among America’s Best Colleges by U.S News.
Location:
Around 35 miles from Chicago, the college is on a 65-acre campus in downtown Naperville on Chicago Avenue.
Academic information
Courses / Modules:
Students should consult with their supervisor or international coordinator when selecting modules at NCC. Information on courses can be found in the course catalogue Students should take not more than 15 credits per semester. When reading the catalogue, bear in mind that York students will take mostly 200-300 level courses while on exchange at North Central.
Credit (Full-time Load per semester):
15 NCC credits = 60 York credits
Teaching Periods:
Autumn/fall semester: Late August to early December
Spring semester: Mid January to early May
Language:
Classes at North Central are taught in English.
You may be required to provide evidence of your English language ability if English is not your first language.
Student life
Accommodation:
Accommodation at North Central is guaranteed for exchange students. Please note that quite often you will be required to share a room with another student. A small number of single rooms may be available at an extra cost. Meal plans are also available.
Support Services:
The Dyson Wellness Center covers both medical and counselling services. Student Disability Services is an office within Academic Affairs, which coordinates accommodations for undergraduate and graduate students with disabilities.
Visas:
Information on obtaining a J-1 visa for their period of study is detailed on the NCC web page Students are responsible for researching their own visa requirements.
Health Cover:
Students must purchase health insurance that covers their whole period of study at NCC.
Travel insurance:
If you are approved by the University of York to participate in this program, you will be covered by the University's Travel Insurance Policy. This is a complimentary policy to cover you for the duration of your University of York mobility experience. Please refer to the Insurance website for all travel insurance queries. You may be required to obtain health insurance valid during your exchange.
Student experiences
This is a new exchange and we have yet to send a student to North Central.
You might want to look at the student experiences from some of our other US partners such as Beloit, Drexel or UIUC.
Top Tips for Studying in the USA
Please note: these tips have been provided by students who have studied abroad in the USA - Global Opportunities recommends that you use these as a guide only and do your own research on what is best for you.
Money and Banking:
'REVOLUT - cannot recommend this enough. Allows for free currency conversions and transfers into US bank accounts. It is cheaper even than Transferwise. The best way to pay bills to the university is to pay Flywire with a domestic US bank transfer through Revolut.'
'I used my UK or French bank accounts and I opened a bank of America account .......'
'I used a Revolut Card which had a really good exchange rates. But I didn't open up a new Bank account.'
Staying Connected:
'I bought a sim from AT&T.....It was a monthly contract that could be cancelled at any time, so it's good for international students. I know some other [students] who either only used WiFi (there's wifi all around campus and it's usually reliable) or who changed their usual contract to an international one.'
'Pretty much every exchange student used Mint Mobile. Not all phones work on US frequencies though, so I bought a Google Pixel 3a which works everywhere.'
'At first, I got a new SIM card but it wasn't compatible with my European phone (due to the software or something). I then borrowed a phone from one of my American relatives.'
Food:
(Drexel University) 'I was on campus and I had a dining plan so I mostly got food in the university's dining facilities.'
(University of Denver) 'A micro fridge is a worthwhile investment for snacks and drinks outside of mealtime!'.
Paperwork and bureaucracy:
'The most tedious thing was getting the visa sorted, but after that most of the paperwork was easy to get done. You might feel like you've forgotten to do some things, but chances are you haven't and they'll send a reminder if you did.'
'Be patient, keep a well labelled folder, email when feeling stressed and your not sure what to do. The main thing is keeping in mind that the paperwork will end and once you arrive at our host country everything is easier face to face.'
'Be meticulous and create checklists. Get all the paperwork necessary for visas etc. before even beginning the process of applying. Flights do not necessarily get more expensive as the travel date gets closer. They can go down too (I booked a flight to NYC to save money before the Philly flight halved in price so I should have just waited).'
What I wished I'd known...:
'Research accommodation a bit more. Expect delays with communication. Expect the mundaneness of normal day to day living- expectation management is a useful skill. All the feelings are very normal!'
'How much it costs! I was happy to pay for the flights even though they're expensive, but having to buy 4-5 books for every module adds up quickly, especially when some of them are $50+ ....... Other things are more expensive too, like clothes, which can cost twice as much as they would here even after converting it.'
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