Frequently Asked Questions

You can send an official transcript to the Office of Admissions. Once the Admissions Office receives your transcript, they will evaluate whether the courses are similar in nature, level and content to our undergraduate curriculum and apply accordingly. After the Admissions Office evaluates the credits, they will reach out via email to inform you that your transfer credit evaluation is available to view in your Student Center.

The Admissions Office is particular about how you submit your transcript, so please make sure to visit their website for more details about transferring your credit to UW Madison.

Unfortunately, UW-Madison does not have a winterim session. However, students can take a maximum of 4 credits from a different institution and transfer the credits back. You can find credit equivalencies from many colleges in Transferology.

UW-Madison also offers a resource called the Course Equivalency Service for summer and winter coursework.

You can find credit equivalencies from many colleges in Transferology.

UW-Madison also offers a resource called the Course Equivalency Service for summer and winter coursework. Follow these steps:

Step One:
Verify if a course equivalent is present in Transferology and use this Transferology guide for assistance! If you do not find the course you are hoping to take in Transferology, proceed to Step Two.

Step Two:
If you do not find a matching course equivalent for the course you plan to take, you can complete the Course Equivalency Request form and submit a course syllabus for evaluation. You are eligible to submit up to four requests for the summer term and two requests for the winter term.

Course Equivalency Requests can only be submitted during these time periods:
Summer Term: March 1st to May 1st
Winter Term: November 1st to December 1st

If you still need assistance, we recommend attending drop-in advising hours which are Monday through Thursday from 2:00-3:00PM CST. Drop-in advising appointments last about 10-15 minutes and can be attended both in person and virtually.

If you study abroad through a UW approved program it will count towards the last 30 credits in residence requirement, however, if it is non-approved it will not count towards the required 30 credits in residence.

If you are on an approved study abroad program, the grades earned abroad will become part of your UW-Madison grade point average (GPA). Grades earned from courses that transferred back from non-approved study abroad programs will not be applied to your UW-Madison GPA.

Visit the UW Study Abroad office to explore programs abroad and be sure to talk to your advisor about your plans.

Major Advising Pages (MAPs) are a guide to your major’s academic requirements in relation to study abroad. They suggest times for students in your major to study abroad, questions to ask your advisors, and provide a list of recommended programs based on your major or certificate. The program list is not exhaustive, but can give you a place to begin your search. Check out your major’s MAP below:

Community & Organizational Development
Consumer Behavior and Marketplace Studies
Human Development and Family Studies
Interior Architecture
Personal Finance
Textiles and Fashion Design

Once you have added yourself to a course waitlist, your interest in the course has been noted. As seats open in the course, often closer to the start of the new term, the SoHE enrollment team works diligently through the waitlist. Please note many factors go into waitlist invitations including, but not limited to, time to graduation, academic level, major requirements, place on the list, etc.

If a seat becomes available for you, you will receive directions on how to enroll off the waitlist from SoHE Enrollment enrollment@sohe.wisc.edu. Waitlist invitations are generally good for a limited time only, so diligently watch your campus email between now and the start of the term.

The course that you are interested in enrolling in had previously been filled, and the seats you are seeing are from students who have since dropped the course. The SoHE enrollment team works diligently through the waitlist to offer these seats to students.

So, we suggest waitlisting yourself, if you haven’t already, as that is the only way to possibly obtain a seat for the next term. However, please note a seat is never guaranteed. If a seat becomes available to you, you will receive an invitation to enroll directly from a SoHE enrollment team member.

It is always possible that a full course can have seats open up, as students do drop at various points, so make sure to monitor this course on the Course, Search, & Enroll app for a seat on the waitlist. However, you will want to find an alternative plan for your schedule in case no seats open.

If you would like to meet with an advisor to work on alternative options, we recommend attending drop-in advising hours which are Monday through Thursday from 2:00-3:00PM CST. Drop-in advising appointments last about 10-15 minutes and can be attended both in person and virtually. You can find more information about drop-in advising here. If these times do not work for you, you can email advising@sohe.wisc.edu with the following information to schedule a 30-minute appointment:

• Dates and times you are available between 9am-4pm on Monday-Friday
• Full name and date of birth
• Meeting preference (face to face/video call/phone call)
• Email address and phone number for the appointment

Often, a validation error can be cleared by “revalidating” your cart before attempting to enroll once again. Further instructions on how to revalidate can be found here.

Another common validation error may occur when students do not have a specific course or course section’s requisite met. Such details can be found by clicking on the course in Course Search and Enroll, clicking on “See sections,” and clicking on the specific lecture or discussion section to read about additional “Requisites” and “Class Notes.” You may also want to watch the enrollment troubleshooting video.

If you fall into neither of these scenarios, please email enrollment@sohe.wisc.edu a screenshot of the error message to provide further guidance.

Swap is a special action that lets you enroll in one class and drop another in one move. Swapping classes is useful when you don’t want to drop a class before enrolling in a new class. You can also use the swap feature to exchange one enrolled section for another within the same class.

You can read more about swapping a course on course search and enroll here.

Make sure to read all the “Requisites” and “Class notes” on a course section’s page in Course, Search, & Enroll, before using the swap feature. You will not be able to swap sections/courses if you do not meet requisites, including enrollment-related requisites in place. You will also not be able to swap sections/courses if the course is displaying “available” seats but is currently wait listing see Why does a course appear to have ‘available’ seats, but I’m being waitlisted?

Students may choose to drop a course for a variety of reasons from simply wanting a lighter course load, no interest in the course or it was not what you expected, to struggling to keep up with the content and workload. You should speak with your academic advisor and take action before the university drop deadlines. There are multiple deadlines that coincide with whether or not you will have a “DR” on your transcript, tuition adjustments, impacts to scholarships and your financial aid package, and finally requiring dean’s approval to drop a course. You can reach the SoHE Deans Services at deansservices@sohe.wisc.edu.

You are ultimately responsible for knowing the deadlines and assessing whether or not you can be successful in a course by the deadlines. In some cases (e.g., you feel lost in the course, tutoring or studying more is not improving your grade, and you have poor/failing grades in multiple exams/assignments), it is better to drop a course by the deadline, so that you can avoid a poor grade and have more time to focus on your other courses. Again, speak with an advisor if you are struggling with a course or facing personal challenges. Dropping a course can have an impact on your financial aid and scholarships, so you may also want to speak with the Office of Student Financial Aid.

A Late Drop is when you want to drop after missing the last university drop deadline and now require dean’s permission for dropping a course. Completing the Dean’s Policy Request Form does not guarantee a late drop, but it is the first step to have your request considered. Once the form is submitted, someone from our SoHE Deans Services deansservices@sohe.wisc.edu will be in touch with you regarding next steps. Late drops (after the deadline) are only granted for non-academic circumstances that were out of a students control, and NOT for any of the below reasons:

• Poor attendance
• Poor academic performance/grades
• Failure to drop classes within the deadline
• Changing academic plan/no longer needing the course

If you wish to drop all of your classes and not continue with the term that is a Withdrawal. Like dropping courses, there are many personal and academic reasons a student might not continue with a term. You can initiate a withdrawal request in your MyUW Student Center. Visit the Office of the Registrar website for detailed information on withdrawing or canceling enrollment for a term.

When you are ready to return to UW you will need to submit an Apply as a Reentry Student form in your MyUW. This is not a new application to UW-Madison, but rather to notify us that you are ready to return and for UW to reactivate your accounts. SoHE Deans Services at deansservices@sohe.wisc.edu will review your academic standing when approving the reentry request.

All students must apply for graduation in the MyUW Student Center when nearing degree completion.

You need to apply for graduation before the deadline announced by the Chancellor’s Office, if you want your name in the commencement program. It’s usually in early November (for December commencement) and late March (for May commencement). Find the current deadline on the Chancellor’s commencement website.

You will be able to apply for graduation in a term any time before the degree conferral date, at which point a term will be removed from the options. Contact your academic dean’s office if you have missed the deadline.

See application instructions. Minimal Degree Requirements: 120 credit hours, 2.0 cumulative GPA, last 30 credits completed in residence.

To order your cap and gown, you may visit the University BookStore website where dates and deadlines, prices, and buying/renting options can be found.

Late Drops, Dual Degrees, Credit Overloads, and Readmission to SoHE; Please complete the Dean’s Policy Request Form after speaking with your academic advisor.

Stay involved and gain leadership experience by joining a SoHE Student Organization.