Skip to content

Local navigation

Academics and Career

Related links

Purchasing Textbooks? Click here.

Registrar

The Office of the Registrar provides students with official transcripts, enrollment verifications, diploma, grade reports, course enrollment assistance, enrollment deadlines, tuition adjustment/refund deadlines, information regarding the release and withholding of private information under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), information on residency for tuition purposes, veterans services, and more. Phone: 608-262–3811; Address: 21 N. Park Street, Suite 7223, Madison, WI 53715-1218

FERPA

UW–Madison complies fully with and fairly with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects the educational records of a student. When a student enters (is in attendance the first day of classes at) UW–Madison, regardless of age, all rights to inspect and review the educational record transfer from the parent to the student.

Under FERPA, the parent has no right to review the record unless the student grants it in writing. University staff members are not permitted to share any information, other than designated “directory information,” with anyone outside of the university system.

Restricted information includes but is not limited to grades, disciplinary history and action, health concerns, and the balance in Wiscard debit card accounts, including the Housing Food Account. Exceptions to FERPA are allowed in life-threatening emergencies.

Academics overview

There are nine undergraduate schools and colleges at UW–Madison offering 160 majors, 40 certificate programs, and 4,200 course options. Each school and college has unique academic communities, facilities, and resources as well as different requirements, policies, and expectations. To be successful, your son or daughter should be familiar with his/her school college requirements. UW–Madison asks that parents and families discuss academic expectations before students arrive on campus and encourage their students to set personal academic goals.

Academic advising

Academic advisors are partners in helping students meet their academic goals. Students meet their advisors at SOAR and work with them throughout their entire undergraduate career. Advisors help students create an academic plan, explore career options, select classes, understand policies and procedures, and connect them to campus resources. Most first-year students are initially admitted to the university as a whole and not into specific programs and majors. Many students apply to their desired program after completing one or two years of prerequisite coursework in the College of Letters and Science. Below we have listed the school/college advising services. Additional advising contacts and information can be found in the Advising Toolkit.

UW–Madison School/College Advising Services

College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
608-262–3003
877/919–CALS (toll free)
undergrads@cals.wisc.edu

School of Business
Undergraduate Academic Services
608-262–0471
busundergrads@bus.wisc.edu

School of Education
Academic Services
608-262–1651

Pre–College of Engineering
Don Woolston
608-262–2473; woolston@engr.wisc.edu

College of Letters and Science
UW Advising Hotline
608-262–1849

School of Human Ecology
608-262–2608

School of Library & Information Studies
608-263-2900; uw-slis@slis.wisc.edu

School of Medicine and Public Health, Professions Programs
608-263–6800
(Physician Assistant, Clinical Laboratory Science)

School of Nursing
608-263–5202

School of Pharmacy
608-262–6234

Cross-College Advising Service (CCAS)
(for students undecided about major)
608-265–5460; ccas@lssaa.wisc.edu

Biological Sciences Advising Office
(Supports students in biological sciences and students prepare for admission to health-related programs)
608-262-6836; phenricks@wisc.edu

Exploration Center for Majors & Careers

The Exploration Center, an extension of the Cross-College Advising Service, is available to all students, but designed to assist undecided students who are exploring their options related to choosing a major and planning potential career paths. The earlier a student starts to think about the process of choosing a major and subsequently a career, the more intentional and thoughtful the process can be. Phone: 608-265–4497; e-mail: ec@lssaa.wisc.edu.

Libraries

UW–Madison has more than 40 campus libraries, 8 million volumes of books and journals, 6.2 million microfilm items, and hundreds of thousands of government documents, maps, musical scores, and audiovisual materials. In addition to searching for materials online, students may e-mail or use instant messaging to send reference questions through campus library links as well as participate in library tours and hands-on classes.

Additional library resources:

Learning support

UW–Madison offers a variety of programs to help students succeed. Below we have highlighted many of them. For a full list, see the Advising Toolkit.

Center for the First-Year Experience

The Center for the First-Year Experience leads the campus in coordinating, facilitating, and assessing the first year of college for freshmen and new undergraduate transfers. They also coordinate Student Orientation, Advising & Registration (SOAR) and Wisconsin Welcome.

McBurney Disability Resource Center

McBurney Disability Resource Center creates an accessible university community where students with disabilities can realize their full potential. The center’s staff collaborates with students, faculty, and staff to promote students’ independence and to ensure the assessment of their abilities—not disabilities. Students with physical, learning, sensory, psychological, or health-related impairments may benefit from the center’s services. Phone: 608-263–2741; e-mail: frontdesk@mcb.wisc.edu.

Computing/Division of Information Technology (DoIT)

Everything needed for successful computing at the UW is provided by the Division of Information Technology (DoIT). DoIT provides expert advice on software or hardware, great prices, a network connection, training, help 7 days a week, warranties, or repair & installation. 608-264-4357

Class Connections in University Residence Halls

The Class Connections program in University Residence Halls helps students find classmates who live nearby, then provides study-group kickoff events to forge Class Connections. Last fall, about 1,000 students living in University Residence Halls attended study-group kickoffs.

Writing Center

Photo of graduate student teaching assistants at a 'Writing Across the Curriculum' training session organized by the Writing Center.

The Writing Center offers free assistance on organization, style, and mechanics in writing projects for any course (except those that satisfy the Communication A requirement), and at any level. The center also offers short, noncredit classes on grammar, style, and composition planning and organization, as well as writing for exams, research papers, research posters, book reviews, literary critiques, and cover letters and résumés.

My UW–Madison

My UW–Madison provides students, faculty, and staff with an easy-to-use, secure gateway to online information. More than just another Web site, My UW offers an impressive array of personalized services that can enhance instruction for students and faculty and boost productivity for staff.

Greater University Tutoring Service (GUTS)

GUTS peer tutoring program provides free help in a variety of subjects at introductory and intermediate levels, including Academic Math Program, Conversational English, Study Skills Counseling and Drop-in Centers. Phone: 608-263–5666; e-mail: guts@rso.wisc.edu.

Mathematics Tutorial Program

The Mathematics Tutorial Program offers small-group tutoring for students enrolled in Math 95, 101, 112, 113, 114, 171/217, 211, 213, 221, 222, and 234. The twice-weekly sessions focus on improving problem-solving techniques and have required attendance. Individual help is also available. Phone: 608-263–6817; e-mail: camacho@math.wisc.edu

Tutoring in University Residence Halls

Undergraduate- and graduate student tutors in chemistry, math, and writing are available on most weekday evenings throughout University Residence Halls.

General academic information

Academic probation

Students are placed on academic probation when they do not meet a minimum GPA within the school and college in which they are enrolled. Rules for when a student is placed on probation and when the probation is removed are set by each school or college and can be found on each college’s Web site. Students are notified by the school or college when they are placed on probation and this information also is displayed for the student’s use on the student grade report, available online through the My UW­–Madison web portal. Academic probation is removed from a student’s transcript once the student has “cleared” probation.

Academic dismissal

Students who do not fulfill the obligations of their probation are dismissed (or dropped) from the university. Rules for dismissal are established by each undergraduate college and can be found on each college’s Web site. Any questions about dismissal need to be routed to the academic affairs office of each school or college. Since parents have no inherent rights to the student’s record (see FERPA regulations), any discussion must be carried out between the dean’s office and the student.

Academic honors

UW–Madison has a number of different kinds of honors that a student might receive. They include:

Degree Audit Report (DARS)

The UW–Madison Degree Audit Report (the system is known as DARS) is a computer-generated report that matches the degree requirements of an undergraduate degree program with a student’s coursework. The audit identifies those graduation requirements completed, as well as those requirements needing completion prior to graduation. The purpose of the audit report is to provide students and their advisors with a degree-progress monitoring tool to assist in academic planning and appropriate course scheduling each semester. Students may obtain an audit of their current major or explore other majors by seeing how their completed coursework matches with the requirements of other majors. Students may obtain audits from My UW–Madison, advisors, the Office of the Registrar, and their academic department or college dean’s office.

Disciplinary probation and dismissal

Student Advocacy & Judicial Affairs, a part of the Offices of the Dean of Students, is responsible for placing students on disciplinary probation and dismissal due to academic misconduct (i.e., cheating) and non-academic misconduct (i.e., misconduct toward other members of the university community or facilities).

Enrollment Information

Some parents may be curious about the enrollment process at UW–Madison, while others may have a more practical interest in the topic. In both cases, we provide the following information for your use:

Grades

Under FERPA, parents do not have access to a student’s grades. If you are interested in knowing your student’s grades, we encourage you to ask your student. The following information may be of interest to you:

Transcripts

UW–Madison policy on Confidentiality of Student Records is designed to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). This federal law prohibits disclosure of student records information to a third party without written consent from the student. Parents may obtain a copy of their son or daughter’s academic transcript by obtaining the son or daughter’s authorizing signature on the transcript request form (Adobe PDF, 12kb). Transcripts are not faxed for several reasons: Official transcripts are printed on safety paper to prevent tampering, and the fax process eliminates this security measure. In addition, because the recipient cannot be assured from where the faxed transcript originated, there is no way to authenticate the transcript received.

Application for graduation

Students are required to apply for graduation and commencement using the My UW–Madison web portal. If they do not apply, they will never graduate, because this application is what causes the process of graduation checking (checking to see if the student has met all graduation requirements) and degree conferral.

Diplomas and degree conferral

Degrees are conferred after all grades from the student have been submitted by the faculty and eligibility for graduation has been confirmed. The UW–Madison is a large, decentralized institution and this process can often take longer than some would expect. Generally speaking, it should be completed about 8 weeks after the date of graduation. Diplomas are mailed to the student’s home address 10–12 weeks after graduation.

Employment, research, internship, and volunteer opportunities

Encourage your student to take advantage of opportunities to learn outside of the classroom. See the Out-of-Class Learning section for more information.

Study/work abroad

International Academic Programs

International Academic Programs (IAP) offers more than 85 study-abroad programs on six continents for students in all schools and colleges at UW–Madison. Programs offered fit the requirements for most majors, no matter what the student’s year in school, from history to biochemistry to economics. All classes taken abroad count for UW–Madison in-residence credit. Financial aid, scholarships, and grants are available to assist with funding study abroad. More information for parents regarding international academic programs can be found in the International Academic Programs Parent Handbook.

Additional study/work abroad programs and services

Career advising

The career planning process begins with a student’s first semester at UW–Madison. Course selection, career exploration, developing relationships with faculty who can serve as employment and graduate school references, on-campus employment, and internships are all part of the process. Each school and college offers career advising and planning services. In addition, some departments and majors have career advising resources as well. Students who are deciding on a major can explore career options through the Cross-College Advising Service.

Links to additional career planning information