Policies and Procedures

There are multiple policies and procedures you should be aware of as a University Special student. Review the categories below or contact University Special Students Services directly.

Credit-load limit as a Special student

Fall and Spring terms

Most University Special students may carry a maximum load of 18 credits during the fall and spring terms. However, some Special student classifications have lower maximums. Check with an advisor at University Special Student Services to verify the specific maximum for your classification.

Summer term

University Special students may carry one credit per week of instruction, except in the 8-week general session when nine credits are allowable. Typically, the maximum total credit load for summer is 12 credits.

If you have a special request to overload these limits, please contact the University Special Student Services dean. Without dean approval, you may be dropped from all courses that exceed the limits.

Course changes

There are several ways changes you can make to your course(s), including credit-hour change, section change, or grading basis change.

Before the stated deadline, you may easily make credit and section changes. Check the Office of the Registrar deadlines for dates. Some course changes will require the USSS dean’s approval.

Credit Changes

Use your Student Center’s ‘Edit a Class’ function to change the number of credits for a variable credit course for which you are already enrolled. Verify your enrollment by viewing your class schedule.

Section changes

To change sections within the same course, use ‘Swap a Class’ or contact your instructor to make changes on the Class Roster. Do not drop the course and re-add if the add deadline has passed.

Course grading status

Before the stated deadline, use the ‘Online Course Change Request’ found under the ‘Enrollment’ module in your Student Center to request a change to a course’s grade status from Credit to Audit or to add or cancel Pass/Fail grading basis.

Dropping and withdrawing

Dropping is defined as dropping one or more classes from a specific term while still staying enrolled in at least one course. Before the stated deadline, you may simply access your MyUW Student Center in order to drop the applicable course(s).

Withdrawal is defined as dropping ALL courses in a given term. If you plan to drop all your courses (even if you have only one course) on or after the first day of class, you will be required to submit an online withdrawal request. Before the stated deadline, access your MyUW Student Center and select the ‘Term Withdrawal’ tab under Course Enrollment.

Deadlines Whether you plan to drop a course or withdraw from all courses, check out the registrar’s webpage to ensure you are within the established deadlines for the current term.

Refund information If you drop or withdraw within the stated refund period, the refund will be processed by the Bursar’s Office within a few weeks.

Medical withdrawal Approval for medical withdrawals is granted on a case-by-case basis. Like other withdrawals, medical withdrawals result in the drop of all courses. If you are seeking a medical withdrawal, you must consult with the academic dean in University Special Student Services, advising@dcs.wisc.edu, 608-263-6960.

Grading

Pass/Fail option

Students in most University Special student categories (except Capstone Certificate UNCS students) may opt to take courses under the Pass/Fail privilege until the end of the fourth week of class. Summer deadlines are prorated according to the length of the session. In most cases, there is no limit on the number of Pass/Fail courses that eligible University Special students may carry as long as they do not exceed the maximum number of credits allowed for a Special student (UNIS/Exchange students are limited to one P/F course per term).

However, if you intend to transfer pass/fail courses to another institution and/or fulfill future degree requirements, it is recommended that you verify the transfer policy with your home institution before requesting Pass/Fail. UW–Madison degree-seeking students cannot use P/F courses to satisfy degree requirements, including general education requirements (Comm A, QR-A, etc.) Therefore, if you intend to be degree-seeking at UW–Madison in the future, you are advised to keep potential degree requirement courses on a graded basis, if possible. Capstone Certificate students may not use P/F courses to fulfill certificate requirements.

For Pass/Fail courses, a grade of S will be recorded in place of instructors’ grades of A, AB, B, BC, C; the grade of U shall be recorded in place of D or F. Neither S nor U grades are used in computing a grade point average. The instructor reports the grade independently of any knowledge of the Pass/Fail basis. To request the Pass/Fail privilege, please access and complete the Course Change Request Form in your MyUW Student Center. Once submitted, the request will be sent to your dean’s office for final approval.

Credit/no credit courses

 A limited number of courses are offered on a Credit/No Credit basis. At the completion of the course, the student is given a grade of CR or N rather than a letter grade. A grade of a CR will give the student credit towards a degree, but will not have any grade points associated. A grade of N will award no credit. Credit/No Credit courses are identified in the Class Search.

Grades of incomplete

A grade of Incomplete may be reported for a student who has carried a course with a passing grade until near the end of the semester and then, because of illness or other unusual and substantiated cause beyond their control, has been unable to take or complete the final examination, or to complete some limited amount of term work. Only the instructor can grant permission for an incomplete, and students must work directly with the instructor on completing course requirements. Students will have until the end of the eighth week of the following term to complete course requirements (new as of fall term 2025), or the grade of Incomplete will lapse to an F.

GPA

While your grades as a University Special student are reported on your official UW–Madison transcript, a cumulative GPA is not displayed on your transcript unless you later become an undergraduate degree-seeking student. A 2.0 minimum grade point average is required to continue in the following term. If you do not achieve the minimum grade-point requirement, you will receive an enrollment hold on your student record and will be barred from further enrollment.

Continuing as a Special/Guest student

Eligibility to enroll in subsequent terms

Classifications eligible to continue

University Special students in these classifications are typically eligible to enroll in subsequent terms as long as a GPA of 2.0 is maintained.

• Professional/Personal development (UNDS)
• Prerequisite (UNRS)
• Capstone certificate (UNCS)
• Formal exchange (UNIS)
• Visiting international student program (UIUL, UIGL, UIDL)

University Special students in these classifications are limited to enrollment in the admitted term only. Any special requests to continue in one of these classifications are to be directed to advising@dcs.wisc.edu or 608-263-6960.

• High school (UNHS)
• Visiting from other schools (UNVS)
• Online-only (UNOL)
• Preselected (UNPS)
• Other (UNOS)

University Special students in any classification who fall below a 2.0 grade point average are barred from further enrollment by an end-of-term action, Must Obtain Permission to Continue (MOPTC).

Transcripts and grade reports

Prior to requesting official transcripts, unofficial student records, or grade reports, verify that grades have been posted in your MyUW Student Center.

A transcript is the official record of your UW–Madison academic history, including courses taken, grades received, and degrees awarded. Order your official transcripts from the Office of the Registrar.

Unofficial student records can be requested via your Student Center under the ‘My Academics’ link. This request will trigger an emailed copy of your transcript showing all coursework completed at UW–Madison but carry neither the official UW–Madison seal nor the registrar’s signature.

Transfer credit

Courses taken at previous institutions will not be reviewed or transferred to your UW–Madison record as a Special student. If a previously taken course is needed as a prerequisite for a UW–Madison course, the student must work directly with the UW–Madison department offering the course to assess if it meets the requirement. If a Special student later becomes an undergraduate student at UW–Madison, the Special student coursework may then be applied toward the undergraduate degree. Please note that enrollment as a Special student does not in anyway guarantee your admission as an undergraduate student.

There is no university-wide policy on whether credits taken as a Special student will count toward a UW–Madison graduate degree. Some departments do not accept any credits, and others take only a limited number. You must check with the graduate coordinator of your desired program to discuss your request.

Honors course designations

If you have questions about courses with honors, please refer to the university policy on Honors Course Designations.