At UW—Madison, our holistic application process is designed to help us find remarkable learners. While we review each application thoroughly, all applicants must meet specific qualifications. Keep reading to learn more. International students, please see additional admissions requirements.
All applicants must:
- ☐ Be a transfer student who has attended another college or university or a reentry/returning student who previously attended UW–Madison as an undergraduate
- ☐ Have completed at least 12 transferable semester hours of college-level work. (AP, A-Level, IB, and CLEP cannot be used toward this requirement)
Have completed the following required coursework:
- ☐ Algebra: One year in high school
- ☐ Plane geometry: One year in high school
- ☐ College-preparatory math: One year in high school, or one college course at the level of Algebra 2 or beyond
- ☐ Single foreign language: Two years of the same language in high school or two semesters of the same language in college
Important: Applying online vs. on-campus
You may not be considered for admission to both the residential (on-campus) program and UW–Madison Online for the same term. If you wish to apply as a transfer student to the residential program, please learn more at the Office of Admissions and Recruitment. If you applied for either residential or online and wish to be considered for the other program prior to receiving an admission decision, you must request to withdraw your application in writing to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment and then submit a new application to the desired program.
When reviewing applications, we pay particular attention to the college-level coursework you have completed, specifically:
- Rigor of coursework. Appropriate for continued study at UW–Madison and increasing in difficulty.
- Course breadth. Showing a combination of English*, math, science, literature, social science, and world language.
- Grade trends and patterns. Steady or improving trends and patterns that show consistency across all academic areas.
- High school performance: The more college-level work you have completed, the less we will rely on high school performance criteria such as rigor of coursework, academic GPA, grade trends and class rank.
*International transfer students must meet UW–Madison’s Communication Part A requirement. This can be satisfied through English composition or English as a Second Language (ESL) coursework at a U.S. institution of higher education where English is the language of instruction.
Here is what you need to complete your application
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Apply using the Common Application
Apply using the Common Application.
Application fee
The $70 fee (U.S. dollars) is due with your application and is non-refundable. Electronic payment is preferred.
Essay
In 300-500 words (about one page), answer the following prompt: Tell us why you would like to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison and include why you are interested in studying the selected major. Submit your essay in the Common Application. Your essay gives us an idea of who you are and what you want to accomplish. It allows us to complete a more holistic review of your application and might also be used for campus program and scholarship review.
Official high school transcripts
We review your high school record to check for proof of graduation and completion of core preparation requirements and to learn more about your educational background. High school grades will play a more important role in the admission review for applicants who have completed fewer transferable college credits.
If you earned your General Educational Development (GED) certificate or a High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED), submit your official score report in addition to all high school or home school transcripts.
Official post-secondary transcripts
Request official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you attended. The transcripts should include all college-level coursework completed to date, including your current term in progress, and (if applicable) college classes taken while in high school.
Electronic transcripts must be sent through a secure document sending service to etranscripts@admissions.wisc.edu. Transcripts sent through email, as an attachment, will not be accepted as official.
Paper transcripts sent to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment must bear an official school seal or be printed on the school’s custom watermarked/security paper. Students applying from outside the United States, please review country-specific official transcript requirements.
Letter of recommendation
We require you to submit one letter of recommendation written by someone who can attest to your academic ability, such as a teacher, school counselor or faculty member. Have a discussion with your chosen recommender first to see if they are willing and able to provide a letter.
We encourage applicants who have been away from formal classroom teaching for an extended period, you can request a letter of recommendation from someone who can speak to your 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.
If you are having trouble submitting the letter via the Common Application, you can select one of the alternative options below to share that with your recommender:
- Invite someone to submit a recommendation (I have my NetID)
- Invite someone to submit a recommendation (no NetID)
- Share a submission link with your recommender to submit on your behalf
Recommendations mailed to our office must include your full name, birth date, and campus ID number (if known). Additionally, letters of recommendation from a school staff member may also be sent through Naviance. Please note that letters of recommendation expire after one year from the date it is written.
Optional: official test scores
While not required, you are welcome to send your ACT or SAT scores if you have taken either test. Your results are considered supplemental academic information and may help strengthen your application.
Test scores should be sent directly from the testing service. Our test code is 4656 for the ACT and 1846 for the SAT. Do not send your results rush (SAT) or priority (ACT); we receive all scores electronically on a daily basis so there is no advantage to rush or priority delivery.
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