Pre-Transfer Resources
Welcome to the start of your transfer journey. Use these resources to navigate our transfer requirements, estimate your transfer credits, and connect with experts who specialize in helping transfer students like you.
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Transfer Credit
Transfer Credit FAQs
UW–Madison will transfer most undergraduate courses from nationally or regionally accredited U.S. institutions and foreign institutions recognized by their respective country’s Ministry of Education. There are three exceptions, listed below:
- Remedial courses – Courses considered to be below the level of collegiate study (e.g., basic algebra, reading skills)
- Vocational or technical courses – Courses at a two-year institution that are part of an applied associate’s degree or not designed as prerequisites for further collegiate study (e.g., office management, welding, automotive technology)
- Doctrinal courses – Courses at any institution that advance a particular political or religious doctrine.
Your transferable credits can transfer in 3 ways:
- Direct equivalent: You’ll receive credit for a UW–Madison course, which will automatically add to the number of credits towards your degree and can satisfy general education and/or breadth requirements as well as major requirements.
- Departmental elective: You’ll receive credit for electives within a particular department. These types of credits can satisfy general education and/or breadth requirements as well as add to your number of credits towards your degree. They do not automatically satisfy major requirements, however.
- General elective: This type of credit automatically adds to your number of credits towards degree, but does not carry any breadth or general education designators. These courses do not satisfy major requirements.
Credit values from quarter calendar institutions in the United States are generally two-thirds of a semester credit hour. Transfer credit values from these institutions will be converted to semester credit by multiplying the number of quarter credits by .67.
For example, if you have 40 quarter credits (40 x .67 = 26.8), you will receive 27 semester credits.
Conversions
- 1 credit (quarter/trimester) = 0.67 credits (semester)
- 2 credits (quarter/trimester) = 1.34 credits (semester)
- 3 credits (quarter/trimester) = 2.01 credits (semester)
- 4 credits (quarter/trimester) = 2.68 credits (semester)
- 5 credits (quarter/trimester) = 3.35 credits (semester)
- 6 credits (quarter/trimester) = 4.02 credits (semester)
Credit conversion practices at UW–Madison align with the university’s Credit Hour Policy and adhere to the American Association of Collegiate Registrar and Admission Officers’ (AACRAO) Transfer Credit Best Practices.
International Quarter/Trimester Credits
Credits completed at an international institution will be converted to UW–Madison credits using the average number of credits taken by a UW–Madison student (15 credits per semester). Total degree credits granted may not equal total course credits due to rounding in the conversion of fractional credits to semester hours.
A maximum of 72 credits towards your degree can be transferred from two-year schools. There is no limit to the number of credits you can transfer from a four-year institution as long as you have not previously received a bachelor’s degree.
Unfortunately, no. The Office of the Registrar evaluates credit for incoming transfer students, typically at or after the point of admission. They do not pre-equate courses for prospective students, but course equivalents for many schools, including Universities of Wisconsin schools, Wisconsin Technical Colleges, Wisconsin tribal colleges, and select two-year Illinois and Minnesota schools are available via Transferology.
If you are at a school for which UW–Madison has equivalents, but you cannot find an equivalent for a specific course, it does not necessarily mean it will not transfer; it just means it has not yet been evaluated. You can continue to check back – Transferology is updated on a weekly basis with any new equivalents that have been created.
For help in understanding how to use Transferology to find and interpret UW–Madison’s equivalencies, check out Transferology User Guides.
- The transfer credit evaluation is completed after the point of admission and will be complete before you attend SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration).
- The credit evaluation is posted to your Student Center, and you should receive an email from the Credit Evaluation Services team notifying you how to access it.
- Credit evaluations can be complex; use this Reading your Credit Evaluation Guide to gain a better understanding of how your credits transferred.
Joint Services Transcript: Academic credit from the Joint Services Transcript will be awarded based on American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations and on the nature, level, and content as compared to a course in UW–Madison’s undergraduate curriculum. To have your credits reviewed, please request an official copy of your JST be sent to UW–Madison. You are not required to submit your JST or accept the transfer credit.
Community College of the Air Force: Academic credit from the CCAF transcript will be awarded based on the nature, level, and content as compared to a course in UW–Madison’s undergraduate curriculum. As CCAF is an accredited institution, you are required to submit a transcript for any credit earned there, but you are not required to accept the transfer credit.
For college credit earned through dual enrollment, UW requires the official transcript from the college or university where you earned the credits, not your high school transcript.
However, please note that your high school dual-enrollment credits do not count towards the minimum 24 transferable credits required to transfer to UW–Madison.
User Guides
The University of Wisconsin–Madison uses Transferology, an online transfer credit tool, to show how credit may transfer from colleges and universities across the U.S.
You can use this tool to identify a course at another institution that may satisfy a requirement at UW–Madison or that will transfer as a direct equivalent.
If you are at a school for which UW–Madison has equivalents, but you cannot find an equivalent for a specific course, it does not necessarily mean it will not transfer; it just means it has not yet been evaluated. Continue to check back – Transferology is updated with new equivalents on a regular basis.
For help in understanding how to use Transferology to find and interpret UW–Madison’s equivalencies, check out our the Transferology user guide.
UW–Madison has several different guaranteed transfer agreements with partner institutions within the state. There are very specific requirements for each partner institution. It is very important to do your research on these programs early, to meet with a transfer advisor on your campus regularly, and connect with admissions to ensure you receive the correct information for your intended agreement.
- Interested in learning more about requirements for a specific major or one of our Schools and Colleges? The Undergraduate Guide contains information about the many academic programs available here at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
- Cross-College Advising Service works with undecided students on our campus and may be able to answer questions about degree programs you are interested in. You can reach out to them via phone at 608-265-5460.
- Some School and College advising offices have the capacity to work with prospective students. You can find contact information for each at the bottom of this page under the “Advising Resources by School & College”
You are able to use the Reading your Credit Evaluation Guide; otherwise, you will learn how your credits will apply to your degree at SOAR (Student Orientation, Advising, & Registration) before registering for courses.
While the Credit Evaluation Service produces the credit evaluation itself, they do not offer academic advising and are not able to answer questions about how your credits apply to your UW–Madison degree. With that fact in mind, they offer the following recommendations for next steps:
- Confirm your enrollment in your Applicant Homepage and sign up for the Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) program if you haven’t already. SOAR is where you will receive academic advising, get help understanding how your credits apply to a degree here, and register for your first semester’s courses.
- Learn about our general education and breadth requirements even before you come to SOAR! Our Undergraduate Guide contains information on all of our degree requirements.
- If a course has transferred differently than you hoped, submit a course reevaluation request form to the Office of the Registrar. You’ll need to give us your name, wisc.edu email, campus ID number, and your academic advisor’s name. You will provide some information about the course and upload a .pdf of a detailed syllabus from the semester in which you took your course. You’ll receive a decision within 4 to 6 weeks.
Application Tips
Attend a transfer visit day
You’ll arrive in the late morning for an Admissions presentation, take a campus tour, eat lunch on your own, and then have the opportunity to interact with your school or college of interest, or meet with a transfer admissions counselor.
Read requirements thoroughly
Read the Admissions website thoroughly before completing your application. All the information you will need about the process, including expectations and required supplementary materials, is available online.
Collect and save your syllabi
The Office of the Registrar’s Credit Evaluation Services team may ask you for a specific course syllabus when they’re doing your credit evaluation, or you might wish to appeal an evaluation decision. You’ll need to present a detailed syllabus from the semester you took the course in either of these cases.
Activate your UW NetID
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation email from Admissions that will include your campus ID number. Using your campus ID number, you can then activate your UW Net ID, giving you access to your UW Student Center and the ability to stay current with future needs, such as accepting admission.
Application FAQs
As a transfer student, you need at least:
- 24 transferable semester credits (which means after high school)
- 2 high school years or 2 college semesters of the same foreign language
- 3 high school years or 3 college semesters of math (1 each of algebra, plane geometry, and advanced math like college algebra or calculus)
You should also refer to the Office of Admissions’ official site about admissions requirements.
There is no minimum GPA required for admission. Admissions looks for strong or increasing grade trends throughout your time in college, but they also use a holistic process that allows them to take things like rigor, course breadth, major preparation, extracurricular participation, letters of recommendation, and a student’s statements into account.
Fall: Apply by February 1 or by March 1.
Spring: Apply by October 1.
If you want to be on campus for a Fall semester, you need to apply by March 1 of that year. For example, if my first semester at UW–Madison will be Fall 2022, I need to apply by March 1, 2022.
You can also apply a little earlier for Fall admission. If you apply by February 1, you will be considered for the Priority Decision Deadline, which just means that you’ll know your admissions decision sooner. March 1 is the Regular Decision Deadline. The only difference between these deadlines is when you receive your decision – everything else is the same.
The application materials you will need to submit are:
- Application: info about you and past work.
- Application Fee: **If you’re currently enrolled at a two-year UW branch campus, you don’t need to pay this fee. Application fee waivers are available for applicants with financial hardship.
- Transcripts: from high school and all post-secondary institutions you’ve attended (including college credit you might have earned while in high school).
- 2 essays (Current UW System students need only submit the second one):
- Tell us about your academic and personal achievements. What have you learned from your success and/or challenges, and how will this influence you as you pursue your college education?
- Tell us why you would like to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition, please include why you are interested in studying the major(s) you have selected. If you selected undecided, please describe your areas of possible academic interest.
- 1 letter of recommendation: someone who can attest to your academic ability, such as a faculty member or school advisor. Applicants who have been away from school for an extended period are encouraged to request a letter of recommendation from someone who can speak to their academic potential, such as an employer (preferably a supervisor or manager), a program or departmental trainer, or some other individual in an official instructional capacity.
Admissions uses a holistic review process to make decisions on applicants. This means they don’t use formulas or rely solely on numbers. Generally, Admissions is looking for:
- Rigor of course work. Appropriate for continued study at UW–Madison and increasing in difficulty.
- Course breadth. Showing a combination of English, math, science, literature, social science, and foreign language.
- Grade trends and patterns. Steady or improving trends and patterns that show consistency across all academic areas.
- Required courses. Applicants must have completed one year each of high school algebra, plane geometry, and college-preparatory math, and two high school years or two college semesters of a single foreign language.
- Non-academic factors. This could include significant work experience, evidence of leadership, a strong record of participation in extracurricular activities, and the presence of special or unique talents.
No, the transfer admissions process and pool are completely separate from the freshman process and pool. You won’t be compared against freshman applicants.
There’s no competitive advantage to applying for either the Priority or Regular Decision periods. The advantage of meeting the Priority Decision Deadline is that you will know your admission decision sooner!
Scores from either the ACT or the SAT are not required of transfer applicants.
If you feel proud of your score or think that your score gives additional information about your academic strength, you are welcome to submit your score as part of your application.
In general, transfer applicants from non-English speaking countries must submit a TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test (DET) score. Please refer to the Admissions website for information on how to submit test scores.
If the applicant’s primary language of instruction for all four years of high school was English OR if they have completed a college-level English composition course at a US college or university, they will be granted a waiver. Please visit the Admissions website for details on how the waiver is granted.
You can apply for regular transfer admission as long as you have 24 transferable credits completed post-high school, whether or not you have signed a transfer agreement or are in the Connections Program. Your admission will always be evaluated independent of any agreements or programs like Connections unless you have satisfied the contract/program requirements. More detailed information on the available agreements can be found at the Office of Admissions website.
If you are looking for information on the admissions process or admissibility to the university, we recommend making an appointment with a transfer counselor at the Office of Admissions: calendly.com/futurebadger/transfer-meeting
After Applying
Once the Office of Admissions & Recruitment receives your application, they will send you an application acknowledgment. If you provide an email address, the acknowledgement will be sent to that email. If you do not supply an email address, you will receive the acknowledgement letter in the mail.
The acknowledgement will include your campus ID number, which can then be used to activate your UW NetID and check your application status.
This online system enables you to:
- Check to make sure we’ve received all your application materials.
- View your admission decision
- Check the details we have on file about you, including residency status and term of entry
- Update your mailing address, phone number, and email address
- Monitor the status of your financial aid application and accept your award
- Accept or decline an offer of admission
If you applied for Fall:
- By the February 1 deadline, you will receive a decision by the end of March.
- By the March 1 deadline, you will receive a decision by the end of April.
If you applied for Fall:
- By the October 1 deadline, you will receive a decision by the end of December.
Congratulations! If you are deciding to come to UW–Madison, you will need to officially accept your admission through your MyUW portal. You will need to register for any placement tests that Admissions tells you to take, and then sign up for Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR), which will also be when you get to enroll for your first semester of classes.
You can get started on the next steps by using Admission’s Admitted Student Checklist. You can also check out our Admitted Students page!
We recommend that you contact the Office of Admissions to ask why you got denied and how to improve your application for a future semester. You can make an appointment with a transfer counselor here: calendly.com/futurebadger/transfer-meeting
There is no limit to the number of times you can apply for transfer admission to the university (although there are credit limits for particular limited enrollment programs). Being denied previously will not negatively affect your chances of admission; counselors look at the current application and all its supporting documentation when making their decisions.
Defer means that you haven’t been accepted or denied yet. Before making a final decision, the Office of Admissions needs more information, which usually means seeing and receiving your final grades for the semester in progress.
Basically: remember to report your final grades!
First, if you haven’t yet done so, add UW–Madison to your FAFSA. This will prompt the Office of Financial Aid to put together an award package for you after an admission decision has been made.
Second, log in to the WiSH – the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub, the database that contains all of UW–Madison’s school and college-based scholarships. You will need to login with your NetID, which you will receive after you apply to UW–Madison. Fill out the general application, which will help identify which scholarships you might be eligible for. Then you can apply for specific scholarships using the Common Scholarship Application within the database.
We also recommend that you check out these resources:
- The Office of Financial Aid – Learn more about the types of aid you might encounter on your award offer. Wisconsin residents may be eligible for Bucky’s Tuition Promise (household adjusted gross income is $58,000 or less) or Badger Promise (first-generation students transferring from two-year schools in Wisconsin). Eligibility will be determined by your FAFSA, and the funds will be automatically included in your award.
You are not required to live on campus! Check out resources to Find Housing.
Every enrolled student receives a bus pass, which makes it easy to get around campus and Madison, regardless of where you end up living. (You can also check out our transportation tips!)
Check out our Additional Resources section at the bottom of this page – there’s a great list of recommended links there. If you can’t find what you’re looking for or would like help navigating those resources, let us know – we’ll try to get you connected to the resources you need.
Advising Resources by School & College
What are schools and colleges at a university?
A university is essentially an umbrella organization for various specialized sub-colleges and schools. When you are admitted to a university, you are typically accepted into a specific college or school based on your major.
Some undergraduate schools and colleges have separate application processes; some have specific transfer policies and resources with which you should familiarize yourself. Please use the following links to ensure you are aware of all relevant information for your intended school or college.
Additional Pre-Transfer Resources
McBurney
Disability
Resource
Center
Apply for disability accommodations before arriving on campus.
