All of the following credit requirements (except F-1 and J-1 visa requirements) must be satisfied by graded courses taken at 300 or above; courses numbered below 300, audit, and pass/fail do not satisfy enrollment requirements.
Graduate students pursuing Master's or PhD degrees in academic programs under the purview of the Graduate School.
The Graduate School considers full-time enrollment to be 8-15 graded credits* taken at 300 or above, excluding pass/fail and audit, during the fall and spring semesters, and 4-12 credits* during the summer term. Dissertators are considered full-time at 3 credits. If students elect not to enroll as full-time students as defined by the Graduate School, they are responsible for knowing about possible obligations that may require full-time status. Such obligations may include visa eligibility, fellowships, assistantships, financial aid, external funding agencies, and program satisfactory progress requirements.
Non-dissertator maximum credit load is 15 graded credits* taken at 300 or above during the fall and spring semesters and 12 credits during the summer term. Any exceptions to the maximum credit load permitted must be obtained via the Credit Overload Request form.
Non-dissertator minimum credit load is 2 credits* during the fall and spring semesters. Graduate students must be enrolled at least at the minimum requirement in the semester in which they receive a degree; master’s degree students expecting a summer degree must enroll in a minimum of 2 graduate credits in any summer session*. Graduate students who do not need to maintain full-time status (including TAs and PAs) have a 2 credit enrollment minimum during fall and spring semesters. Minimum requirements must be fulfilled by courses taken for a grade (not pass/fail or audit) and must be taken at 300 or above.
During the fall and spring semesters, non-dissertators must enroll for a minimum of 2 credits.* Audit and pass/fail courses do not satisfy this enrollment requirement. Dissertators are required to enroll for 3 graded credits taken at 300 or above and directly related to their dissertation research.
The specific situations listed below have special enrollment requirements.
Students in dissertator status must enroll in exactly 3 graded graduate credits* during the fall and spring semesters. At their discretion, advisors may require 1 credit of 990 or an equivalent research course under their direction included in those 3 credits.
Enrolling in additional courses for credit, audit, or pass/fail will result in removal of dissertator status and tuition assessment at the regular graduate rate.
All students in dissertator status are considered full-time at 3 credits. Dissertators who are summer RAs, trainees or fellows, or who expect to graduate in summer, must enroll in the general 8-week summer session (DHH) for 3 credits.
During the summer term, a dissertator who is enrolled in the general 8-week session for 3 credits may request an overload for 1 to 2 additional credits in a short session and still retain dissertator status. For such requests to be approved, the course must be related to dissertation research or professional training that is not offered in regular semesters.
Students must be enrolled during the semester or general 8-week summer session (DHH) when they defend the dissertation and when they deposit the dissertation unless defending and/or depositing during the window period.*
Once placed in dissertator status, students must maintain continuous enrollment.
A master’s degree candidate required to submit a thesis to Memorial Library, as indicated on the degree warrant, must be enrolled in the semester in which they defend their thesis. If a student defends in a window period, they need to have been enrolled in the previous term. A student does not need to be enrolled to deposit their thesis to Memorial Library.
It is against university policy to hold an assistantship without being appropriately enrolled. Assistantships include those at UW–Madison as well as any UW System institution, including UW Extension.
RAs are required to carry a full load each semester (8 to 15 credits* including research or thesis credits for non-dissertators, 3 credits* for dissertators) and at least 2 credits* during the general 8-week summer session (DHH) (3 credits* for dissertators). Dissertators who hold assistantships are considered full-time with 3 credits* directly related to their dissertation.
Minimum enrollment for PAs and TAs is 2 credits* (3 credits* for dissertators) during the fall and spring semesters.
Non-dissertator graduate students holding fellowships that are pay-rolled through the university must be enrolled full-time: 8 credits* during the fall and spring semester. Fellows who are non-dissertators with 12-month appointments must also enroll in 2 credits* during the general 8-week summer session (DHH). Those who are not pay-rolled as fellows over the summer are not required to be enrolled. Those who are pay-rolled as fellows during any part of the summer term must enroll in the general 8-week summer session (DHH). Fellows who are dissertators must enroll in 3 credits* during the fall and spring semesters. Fellows with 12-month appointments who are dissertators must also enroll in 3 credits* during the general 8-week summer session (DHH).
Trainees must carry a full load each fall and spring semester of 8 to 15 credits* including research or thesis credits for non-dissertators (3 credits* for dissertators), and at least 2 credits* during the general 8-week summer session (DHH) (3 credits* for dissertators).
Both F-1 and J-1 student visa regulations require students to be enrolled full-time each fall and spring semester (8 credits, not taken as audit). Summer enrollment is not required by the U.S. federal government regulations for F-1/J-1 visa holders. However, summer enrollment may be required due to other circumstances; see summer enrollment requirements for assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and graduating students. Failure to maintain full-time status can result in loss of F-1/J-1 student benefits, including on-campus employment and practical/academic training options. Any exceptions to full-time enrollment must be authorized by International Student Services (ISS). Visit the ISS webpage to learn more about visa requirements. Permission from ISS to drop below full-time enrollment does NOT exempt an international student from meeting the enrollment requirement determined by a Teaching Assistantship (TA), Project Assistantship (PA), Research Assistantship (RA), fellowship, traineeship, or dissertator status.
F-1 and J-1 student visa holders have restrictions regarding the number of online credits that can be taken during the semester as it relates to fulfilling the full-time enrollment requirement. There are also restrictions regarding online enrollment during the final term of study-especially when the final term for completion is in summer. For more information, visit the ISS Online Course Enrollment webpage.
In most cases, students are eligible for federal loans and federal loan payment deferral when enrolled at least half-time, which is 4 credits* for the fall and spring semesters. However, individual cases may vary, and students are advised to seek individual advice at the UW–Madison Office of Student Financial Aid. Payroll and FICA taxes can be impacted if students are not enrolled at least half-time. More information can be found here.
All of the following credit requirements (except F-1 and J-1 visa requirements) must be satisfied by graded courses taken at 300 or above; courses numbered below 300, audit, and pass/fail do not satisfy enrollment requirements.
| CATEGORIES | MINIMUM ENROLLMENT FOR FULL-TIME STATUS: FALL OR SPRING | MINIMUM ENROLLMENT FOR FULL-TIME STATUS: SUMMER (GENERAL 8-WEEK DHH SESSION) |
|---|---|---|
| Dissertator | Exactly 3 credits directly related to research | Not required unless receiving summer degree or if RA, trainee (with 12-month appointment), or fellow (with 12-month appointment), 3 cr. required. |
| RA, non-dissertator | 8 cr. | 2 cr. |
| TA/Lecturer (SA) 33%, non-dissertator | 6 cr. | Not required unless receiving summer degree, 2 cr. minimum. |
| TA/Lecturer (SA) 50%, non-dissertator | 4 cr. | Not required unless receiving summer degree, 2 cr. minimum. |
| PA 33%, non-dissertator | 6 cr. | Not required unless receiving summer degree, 2 cr. minimum. |
| PA 50%, non-dissertator | 4 cr. | Not required unless receiving summer degree, 2 cr. minimum. |
| Fellow, non-dissertator | 8 cr. | 2 cr. for 12-month appointments. Not required for 9-month appointments. |
| Trainee, non-dissertator | 8 cr. | 2 cr. |
| International student (F-1/J-1 visa), non-dissertator, if no other category in this list | 8 cr. | 4 cr. when summer is admit semester (2 cr. when summer is admit semester and student holds RA appointment or at least 33% TA or PA appointment) |
| If none of the above, full time enrollment is: | 8 cr. | 4 cr. |
* Credit requirements (except F-1 and J-1 visa requirements) must be satisfied by graded courses taken at 300 or above; courses numbered below 300, audit, and pass/fail do not satisfy enrollment requirements.
