Logging In and Finding Your Course

Log In to Canvas

Instructors and students log in to Canvas through the Northwestern IT website by clicking on the purple "Log In to Canvas" button. Northwestern's multi-factor authentication process is required to log in to Canvas. These steps will show how to move through the multi-factor authentication process to access Canvas.

Which browser should I use to access Canvas?

We strongly recommend that you use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as your web browser when working in Canvas. Apple Safari, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge have some known issues with Canvas, so we advise against using these browsers if possible.

Find Your Courses

Most courses will be displayed on the dashboard when you log in to Canvas. If you don't see your course, click on Courses in the left navigation, then the "All Courses" link at the bottom of the pop-out to view all past, current, and future courses. Click the star to the left of any course to make it appear on the dashboard screen when you log in.

For more information, see this Canvas Guide: How do I view all my Canvas courses as an instructor Links to an external site. / How do I view all my Canvas courses as a student Links to an external site.. 

Course Creation and Enrollment

Most Registrar courses are created automatically in Canvas based on the information listed in CAESAR. Discussion sections, lab sections, clerkships, and independent studies are excluded from this automatic process; requests for the creation of these types of course sites in Canvas may be sent to consultant@northwestern.edu. Learn more about when and how to request to "push" a course to Canvas.

Canvas synchronizes with CAESAR three times daily on weekdays (at approximately 9:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., and 5:30 p.m.) and twice a day on weekends (2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.), bringing over new enrollment and course information from CAESAR to Canvas each time the synchronization process runs. An instructor must be listed as a Primary Instructor in CAESAR in order to be automatically added to Canvas as a Teacher.

When are courses made available to instructors in Canvas?

Most courses are made available by the Registrar's Office on these dates:

  • Fall 2024: Canvas sites will be available May 6, 2024
  • Winter 2025: Canvas sites will be available November 4, 2024
  • Spring 2025: Canvas sites will be available February 10, 2025
  • Summer 2025: Canvas site will be available March 31, 2025 (TENTATIVE)
  • Fall 2025: Canvas sites will be available May 5, 2025 (TENTATIVE) 

NOTE: The above dates apply to courses in UGRD (undergraduate) and TGS (The Graduate School), along with graduate classes in Engineering, Communication, Music, and Education, as well as non-degree courses. Contact your school if your school's dates aren't listed here. Law, Feinberg, and NUQ operate on a different calendar than other schools within the university, so courses in those schools may be available at different times.

General Schedule of Course Availability:

  • Fall Courses: Usually available in early May
  • Winter Courses: Usually available in late October or early November
  • Spring Courses: Usually available in mid-February
  • Summer Courses: Usually available in early April