Quick steps:
Students may drop a course or courses via the MyUW Student Center at any time until the end of the 12th week of classes in the fall or spring term (specific deadline dates are listed under Deadlines at a Glance on the Registrar's website).
A request to drop this class must be approved by your academic dean's office. Your transcript will include a record for this class with a “DR” instead of a grade, simply noting that you took this course and dropped it. The “DR” does not affect your grade-point average or have negative implications.
Swapping Courses When you're switching from one class into another, do not drop a class and then add another. Instead, switch classes using the "Swap" function in Enroll and Pay. This guarantees that you are not blocked out of classes by keeping you in your original class as it switches you into a new one.
A student may retake a class or carry a course on a refresher basis if the student wishes to repeat a course that they have already passed and earned college credit. Students will sometimes do this to improve their foundation for more advanced coursework.
Please note that the last day to request a late drop is on the last day of classes prior to the start of final exams for the fall or spring term. The deadline for summer term late drop requests will be on the last day of the particular summer session.
Cancel Fall and Spring Regular sessions: Simply drop all your enrolled courses by 11:59PM the day before the first day of the session. View sessions dates. All other sessions, including any Summer term course: Drop the course by 11:59PM on the Sunday starting the first week of your session.
Use the Drop feature to withdraw from one or more classes. Use the Swap feature to exchange a class in which you are currently enrolled for a new one. Swapping allows you to add and drop the two classes at the same time.
Retaking a course may raise your student's GPA (grade point average). In many schools, if a student retakes a course, the most recent grade will replace the lower grade in the student's GPA. The earlier, lower grade will remain on the transcript, but will not be included in the GPA.
In addition to meeting with financial aid advisors before dropping a class, make an appointment to talk to your academic advisor. An advisor can help you run through your options and let you know if dropping could affect your graduation date.
The process of improving your GPA could be very costly. If you are granted the opportunity to retake a course, you will likely have to pay the full cost of the class without the expectation of financial aid. For many postbac programs, your only opportunity for financial aid may be acquiring additional student loans.
Repeatable for Credit means the student may enroll in the course more than once, with a limited number of times (maximum of three repetitions), even if he/she earned a satisfactory grade (e.g., C or Credit) the first time (Title V, section 55763).
If you know you will be unsuccessful in a course, you will have to repeat it in a subsequent semester. If the UWM course repeats a course for which the student received transfer credit, the UWM course will be calculated into the GPA regardless of whether the UWM course grade is higher or lower.
The My Courses tab keeps your lists of selected and saved courses, and is where you will enroll, drop, or swap courses.
The Scheduler tool in Course Search & Enroll shows weekly calendar layouts of the classes from your cart. You can view different combinations of sections to find the time-slots that work best, and set up blocks to avoid scheduling classes at certain times.
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
The “Save Schedule” button in the upper right corner pushes the selected days/times for the displayed weekly grid back to your cart.
The Degree Planner is a tool for students to do just that, plan their degree. This tool helps students structure and plan their courses during their time at the University.
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
In Menu, in the sidebar, click on “Create PDF,” or click on the settings wheel next to the degree name and select “Create PDF.” You can then save or print the PDF and share it with your advisor. Your advisor cannot view a digital version of your plan.
Courses listed below, separated by subject, are active as of the Fall 2021 term. Courses can be updated three times per year, to coincide with the priority enrollment time period for upcoming terms.
Honors Only Courses (H): a course reserved for students declared in an Honors program only, taught by a faculty member who is an expert in the subject-matter of the course. It is designed to challenge students to actively participate; hence, the course content is often shaped by student questions and interests.
Elementary: a course associated with predominantly introductory material, are usually open to all students (including first year students). Intermediate and Advanced: courses with sensible prerequisites to reflect a gradual mastery of material. L&S Credit.
Humanities: employing analytical, critical, and interpretive methods, “Arts & Humanities” courses teach a wide array of skills necessary to understand and analyze past, present, and future of the world around us.
Accelerated Honors courses receive honors credit automatically in recognition of the amount and rigor of material covered in the course, often designed to combine two semesters of material into one semester. The enrollment system will automatically assign honors.
Before enrolling in courses there are a few things to consider to make sure your course enrollment process is as smooth as possible. Many of these actions can be completed in your MyUW Student Center.
You can find your assigned advisor (s) in the MyUW Academic Navigator portal. Use the Find an Advisor page to explore options for connecting with advisors in a variety of schools, colleges, and campus-wide units.
Your Enrollment Appointment Time will display through the MyUW Student Center module.
Prior to priority enrollment each semester, you are required to complete the Pre Enrollment Checklist (PEC). A hold will be placed on your record until you have completed the checklist, and will be automatically removed once you’ve finished all seven steps of the PEC. View step-by-step instructions on how to complete the PEC.
Students may view their holds by clicking on the “Tasks” tile in the My UW Student Center module. Click on the name of the hold to view contact information regarding who is assigning the hold. Students are not permitted to add or drop courses if any of the following holds exist:
Guest students need permission prior to enrolling in a course. Audit credit is automatically assigned.
You are an enrolled student if you have successfully added a course. As an enrolled student, you are responsible for payment of all tuition and fees and for grades in these courses, unless you officially drop them or withdraw from UW-Madison by the appropriate deadlines.
Save Course to cart. In the cart, select the class and enroll ( or you can enroll in all the classes in your cart at once). If the class is still full, you will be added to its wait list. If a seat is open at the moment you enrolled, you will be officially enrolled in the class. Review your Wait list in the My Courses tab to confirm ...
Graduate students (not yet in dissertator status) can be on up to 15 credits of wait-listed classes in the Fall and Spring terms, and up to 12 credits of wait-listed classes in Summer term. Enrolled credits do not count against the maximum number of wait-listed credits.
On the wait list for a class you no longer wish to take? Remove the class from your assignment Wait list. This helps other students on the wait list get into the class faster.
What’s it like to take an online course at UW–Madison? Expect to be an active participant in the learning process. You’ll learn through tools such as podcasts, mini lectures, discussion forums, online journals, and multimedia elements. You may connect with your instructor–and your classmates–through collaborative documents such as wikis, videoconferencing apps like Skype, emailing, texting and a host of interactive activities. You’ll submit assignments and exams online, too.
Ask questions: Make sure you understand the finer points of the course material—and your instructor’s expectations—by asking questions early and often. Don’t let them pile up!
They often consist of modules that divide the course material into easy-to-digest portions. An eight-week course might be split into four modules lasting two weeks apiece, or eight modules covering different topics. Instructors provide a syllabus listing important assignments, deadlines, virtual office hours and a weekly flow diagram (also known as a weekly rhythm) that illustrates how to structure your week to succeed in the course.
Incentivize: Use the aforementioned barbecues—and other social events—as rewards for study sessions. Other summertime goodies (ice cream, anyone?) can be great motivators, too.
Taught by prestigious instructors from the university’s face-to-face courses, online Summer Term courses are a convenient way to make progress toward your degree and lighten your load for a future semester. They also pair well with a summer job or internship.
Courses that satisfy the General Education requirements can be found at the University’s Course Search and Enrollment page . On the left side of the page will be a list of course attributes that can be used to narrow that list down. Under General Education, you may select the following:
The Ethnic Studies Requirement is overseen by the Et hnic Studies Subcommittee of the University General Education Committee , which reviews all requests that course should carry the requirement. The Ethnic Studies Requirement has been the subject of an extensive process of review and revision (ca 1999-2004).
Directed or Individualized Study may not be used to satisfy GER.
Please note that UW-Madison’s unique approach to Comm-B, which integrates communication instruction within a wide range of disciplines, makes approval of course substitutions and transfer credit highly unusual. Students seeking re-evaluation of their transfer credit can find more information here.
It is important to note that courses offered through the college of Letters & Science are not visible when initially browsing in the Course Search & Enroll App. Instead, students can find and enroll in these courses by searching by class number in the Course Search & Enroll app. The corresponding class numbers are listed below next to each course.
It is important to note that courses offered through the college of Letters & Science are not visible when initially browsing in the Course Search & Enroll App. Instead, students can find and enroll in these courses by searching by class number in the Course Search & Enroll app. The corresponding class numbers are listed below next to each course.
At University of Wisconsin–Madison, we offer eight undergraduate schools and colleges that are home to our 125 undergraduate majors. Each school and college is distinct and provides unique academic communities, facilities, resources, professors, and academic programs.
All students are initially admitted into the university and not into specific programs and majors. Admission to the university does not guarantee admission into a specific major program or college. In all cases, admission to intended majors is a separate procedure, application, and/or review process. Most programs have additional GPA, prerequisite course work, and/or audition or portfolio requirements. To learn more about the admission expectations, requirements, and procedures for the major of interest to you, consult our Entrance Requirements for Undergraduate Majors.