University of Wisconsin–Madison

Enrollment

You are an enrolled student once you have successfully added a course. As such, you are responsible for paying tuition and fees and for your grades unless you officially drop your course(s) or withdraw from UW–Madison by the appropriate deadlines.

Enrollment not guaranteed

Priority for enrollment is given to degree-seeking students, and some special student classifications can’t enroll until just before or at the start of the term (specifically, high school students and senior guest auditors).

Enrollment in a course is not guaranteed.

Enrollment preparation

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If you haven’t yet activated your NetID, you will need to do so before proceeding with the instructions on this page.  

Step-by-step instructions for activating your NetID

If you are a former student of UW–Madison, but do not recall your NetID or password, please contact the DoIT Help Desk  for assistance.

All tasks related to enrollment are completed within your MyUW portal.

MyUW portal tiles you will need for enrollment:

  • Tasks tile within your Student Center tile
  • Course Search & Enroll tile

View your enrollment appointment time on the Course Search and Enroll tile in MyUW.

You will also receive an email from the Office of the Registrar with your enrollment appointment time.

Enroll on or after your enrollment appointment time. If you try to enroll before your appointment time, you will receive an error message.

The pre-enrollment tasks do not apply to Senior Guest auditors (UGSR).

In your Student Center, view the Tasks tile to find the 7 tasks that must be completed before enrollment. These tasks should only take about 5 minutes to complete. Once your checklist is complete, the enrollment hold will be lifted from your student record. See the pre-enrollment checklist guide for more information.

For more information regarding the Terms and Conditions of this agreement, please see the Bursar’s Office FAQs. 

Terms and Conditions for Enrollment/Credit Agreement

  • You are required to electronically sign the Terms and Conditions for Enrollment/Credit Agreement before you are eligible to enroll in courses
  • The agreement says, in part: “I accept full responsibility to pay all tuition, fees, and other associated costs assessed as a part of my registration and/or receipt of services.”
  • To access the agreement, follow the steps below:
  1. Go to your Student Center in MyUW
  2. Click “Tasks” panel
  3. Complete the Pre-Enrollment Checklist Guide and agree to the terms and conditions

You will also be able to confirm/add/edit emergency contacts, addresses, SSN, etc.

You can view your holds by clicking on the “Tasks” tile in your Student Center. Click on the name of the hold to find out who is assigning the hold. Contact the office or individual who assigned the hold to learn more.

Holds may prevent you from adding or dropping courses.

Enrollment steps

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Find your class(es)

Please note, if a course lists prerequisites you will need permission from the department to enroll, assuming you have met the prerequisites. Please contact the department directly.

Understanding sections

Most courses involve both a lecture and a discussion section (and a lab section for lab courses). You will want to make sure that the lecture, discussion, and lab if applicable, are all at times that work for your schedule. Once you find a section that works for you, add the course to your Shopping Cart.

Senior guest auditors enroll in lecture sections only. 

Add class to your shopping cart

After you find a course that fits your schedule, check the box next to the section, and then select “Add to cart.”

  • In your shopping cart you can:
    • Create a list of desired course sections before your enrollment time
    • Uncover potential enrollment problems (see next panel)
    • Speed up course selection
    • Easily reference course information before enrollment

Senior guest auditors, add courses using the 5-digit class number found in your permission email from the professor or department.

In your Shopping Cart, you may see a Validation failed message if you don’t meet requisites or you need permission to enroll in the course. To see why validation failed, click on the orange circle. The most common reason Special students receive the validation failed message are:

For either of these messages, please contact the department’s enrollment contact, as they are the only people who can help you resolve these issues.

The benefit of using this tool is to make sure that you have all the requirements and permissions you need to enroll once your enrollment time arrives. Some classes fill up rapidly, so doing this step ahead of time will help you avoid problems once your enrollment time comes.

If you don’t get a problem message, you will be able to enroll (assuming there is space in the class) at or after your enrollment appointment time.

High school/ECCP students: If you encounter error messages for math courses, contact a USSS advisor at highschoolcredit@dcs.wisc.edu.

You will be ready to enroll when:

To enroll

Navigate to the Course Search and Enroll tile in your MyUW portal, then:

  • Select the checkbox for your course and then select the “Enroll” button above it.
  • Verify your selections and select enroll
  • If a section is full and a wait list is available, continue to enroll in the course to secure your spot on the wait list.
    • A wait list spot doesn’t guarantee enrollment. The department will email you (via your wisc.edu email) if a spot opens.

Senior guest auditors enroll using the 5-digit class number found in your permission approval email. Look for the blue circle with a plus sign labeled “Add by class number.”

It is your responsibility to make sure your enrollment is accurate.

Review your enrolled classes in the “Enrolled” list on the “My Courses” tab to confirm that you have successfully enrolled in the correct section.

ECCP/High School students: Make sure you have enrolled in an ECCP-approved course to avoid tuition and fee charges.

If your enrollment is complete, you will see a message indicating you’ve successfully enrolled.

Need help? Check out the Course Search and Enroll — Add and Enroll in Classes KB

View your course schedule in Course Search and Enroll

Post enrollment

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After enrollment, we encourage you to explore your MyUW Student Center to familiarize yourself with the functions and how to navigate the interface.

Here are just a few things that you will do in your Student Center:

  • Order transcripts
  • View your enrollment appointment time
  • View any holds on your account
  • View your tuition eBill

After you enroll, your eBill will be available for viewing under the Financial account tab in your MyUW Student Center. Pay your tuition on time to avoid the $100 late payment fee. If you are not expecting a tuition bill (High school/ECCP students, Senior guest auditors, and K125 auditors) and you have an eBill, please contact us 608-263-6960; advising@dcs.wisc.edu.

You are responsible for knowing the key dates and deadlines for each term you are enrolled. If you are dropping a class or withdrawing for the term, you are expected to adhere to all UW–Madison dates and deadlines.

Please review the deadlines and make note of these dates in your calendar.

Courses in Canvas can be accessed within 2-4 hours of your enrollment.

Students make the decision to drop courses for a number of reasons.

Please be aware that there are drop and withdrawal deadlines that affect the amount of tuition reimbursement you are eligible to receive.

If you’re considering dropping a course, please do the following:

  1. Review semester deadlines
  2. Consult with an advisor in USSS: advising@dcs.wisc.edu or 608-263-6960
  3. Drop the course in Course Search and Enroll

Dropping a class vs. Withdrawing for the term

Quick links

High School/ECCP students

For information specific to your classification, view the High School Special student page.

Senior Guest auditors

For information specific to your classification, view the Senior Guest auditor page.