Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework

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Policy Number:
UW-1216
Responsible Office:
Graduate School

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

The Graduate School allows programs to transfer credits for previous coursework under the conditions detailed below. Any prior coursework accepted under these parameters must have been rigorous and meet the expectations of graduate work for the degree.

Definitions:
Credit Hour
Defined in UW-1011, The Credit Hour
Scope:

Graduate students pursuing Master's or PhD degrees in academic programs under the purview of the Graduate School.

Policy:
  • A student’s program may decide to accept transfer credits toward fulfillment of minimum degree, minimum graduate coursework, graduate/professional certificate, and doctoral minor credit requirements.
    • Grades from transfer credits will not count towards the graduate career GPA.
    • Transfer credits must be earned from institutions recognized by a U.S. Department of Education institutional accrediting agency or hold an equivalent international accreditation.
    • The Graduate School’s minimum graduate residence credit requirement can be satisfied only with courses taken as a Graduate student at UW– Madison.
    • Students should be aware that some programs may require more rigorous credit requirements than the Graduate School’s minimum requirements.
    • Students should contact their graduate program coordinator for further information.
  • Although transfer credits can be used toward graduate/professional certificates, at least half (50%) of the certificate credits must be earned while enrolled at UW–Madison as a degree-seeking graduate/professional student.
  • The credits used toward a master’s degree may also be applied to a related doctoral degree. Credits earned ten or more years prior to admission to a master’s degree or doctoral degree are not allowed to satisfy requirements.
  • Further policy depends on the categories below:
    • Graduate credits earned at other institutions,
    • Undergraduate credits earned at other institutions or UW-Madison
    • Credits earned as a Professional student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)
    • Credits earned as a University Special student at UW–Madison.
  • In the following, we describe the conditions that apply to transferring credits for each of the above categories:
    • Graduate credits earned at other institutions. A student’s program may decide to transfer graduate credits completed at another institution (earned post-baccalaureate). There are no limits on the number of credits that can be transferred except that the program’s minimum graduate residence credit requirement can be satisfied only with courses taken as a Graduate student at UW–Madison. Further, the graduate-level credits taken as a Big Ten Academic Alliance Traveling Scholar may count as credits taken in residence at UW-Madison. The credits from this work will appear on a UW–Madison transcript as transfer credits into the Graduate career.
    • Undergraduate credits earned at other institutions or UW-Madison. A student’s program may decide to transfer up to seven credits from another institution or numbered 300 or above from the undergraduate career completed at UW–Madison. Exceptions to this limit must be approved by the Graduate School. Transfer credits from other institutions must be equivalent to the rigor of UW-Madison courses numbered 300 and above. These credits are not allowed to count toward the 50% graduate coursework minimum unless numbered 700 or above from UW- Madison. The credits are noted on the transcript in the graduate career as transfer credits, but the courses remain in the undergraduate career if taken at UW-Madison.
    • Credits earned as a Professional student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers). A student’s program may decide to transfer professional credits completed at UW-Madison. There are no limits on the number of credits that can be transferred except that the program’s minimum graduate residence credit requirement can be satisfied only with courses taken as a Graduate student at UW–Madison. The credits are noted on the transcript in the graduate career as transfer credits, but the courses remain in the professional student career of Law, Medicine, Pharmacy or Veterinary.
    • Credits earned as a University Special student at UW–Madison. A student’s program may decide to transfer up to fifteen University Special student credits numbered 300 or above. However, these credits are not allowed to count toward the 50% graduate coursework minimum unless numbered 700 or above or are taken to meet the requirements of a capstone certificate and has the “Grad 50%” attribute. The credits are noted on the transcript in the Graduate career as transfer credits, but the courses remain in the University Special student career.
Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Dean of the Graduate School
Policy Manager:
Director, Academic Services, Graduate School
Contact:
Degree Coordinator -- Elena Hsu, elena.hsu@wisc.edu, (608) 262-2433
Revised Dates:

09-12-2022, 05-18-2023, 10-27-2023

Retrieved:
07-29-2025 17:51:26