UW Colleges Academics
Academic Policies
- Registration
- Hold Policy
- Class Attendance
- Concurrent Registration
- UW-Learning Innovations Independent Study
- Late Registration
- Adding Courses
- Dropping Courses
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Withdrawal
- Tuition
- Resident Status for Tuition Purposes
Registration
Once you have applied and been accepted to a UW Colleges campus there are still a couple of steps you must take before you can register. Registration is the process of enrolling in courses each semester.
First, each campus to which you have applied will ask you to confirm your intent to enroll at that campus. If you have applied and been accepted to more than one UW Colleges campus, you must select just one campus at which you will confirm your intent to enroll. While it is possible to take classes at more than one UW Colleges campus, you must select one campus to which you will confirm your intent to enroll. You will not be allowed to confirm your intent to enroll at multiple UW Colleges campuses.
Once you have confirmed your intent to enroll at the campus of your choice, you will receive registration information from the Student Services Office at that campus. All new freshmen and transfer students will be required to participate in an on-campus registration program. A student services or faculty advisor will help you select classes to fit your individual course of study. Specific information on the times, dates and places of registration will be provided to you by your campus Student Services Office.
Upon meeting with an advisor and determining the classes you will take for the semester, you will be guided through the process of entering your class choices into PRISM, the UW Colleges online student system. Once you submit your class choices in PRISM, you are registered whether or not you pay fees and tuition or attend classes. Please note: some UW Colleges campuses require registered students to pay an Advanced Tuition Payment prior to July 15 to hold their enrolled courses.
Once you are registered, if you want to withdraw, you must complete the withdrawal process explained in the University of Wisconsin Colleges' catalog. (Non-attendance does not constitute official withdrawal.) Failure to withdraw officially does not end your obligation to pay your fees. Failure to pay the fees may bar you from registration in the future. The amount of fees owed is determined by the fee policy established by the Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.
Registration Hold Policy
If you have an outstanding obligation to the University of Wisconsin Colleges (e.g., you owe a fine, tuition, materials, or financial aid), a hold may be placed on your educational records. Holds may also be placed if you fail to provide documentation (e.g., official transcripts, test results, etc.) to complete your academic record. The hold may prohibit you from registering in the future and you will not be able to request or receive an official transcript of your academic record.
Class Attendance
Instructors may establish reasonable class attendance policies that make allowances for legitimate absences and which comply with legal mandates such as Wis. Admin. Code Chapter UWS 22 Accommodation of Religious Beliefs and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). If an instructor determines that a certain number of absences will affect the student's grade, the attendance policy should state that this refers to unexcused absences. In these cases, the instructor should identify a mechanism to verify excused absences. Notice of any class attendance policy must be announced in the syllabus.
Students are responsible for completing all work missed because of any absences from class. If students plan to be absent from class because of field trips or extracurricular activities sponsored by the UW Colleges, the instructor in charge of the activity shall provide such information to the other instructors whose classes will be missed. You should consult the campus Student Services Office for complete information.
Concurrent Registration
You may enroll in courses at more than one University of Wisconsin System campus. However, in order to do so, you must obtain written permission from your University of Wisconsin Colleges campus Student Services Director. If you enroll at more than one University of Wisconsin campus, the number of credits you take is combined to determine your status, either full or part time, and your fees and tuition assessed. You must present proof of fees paid and courses and credits being taken. If you are enrolled full time in one institution, no additional fees will be assessed by a second campus. If you are not enrolled full time at the first campus, the second campus will charge a per-credit rate until the full-time credit plateau is reached. The full-time rate will not be less than the lowest, nor more than the highest, full-time rate of the campuses involved. You should consult with University of Wisconsin Colleges campus Student Services Office and Business Office for information about concurrent registration.
University of Wisconsin-Learning Innovations Independent Study
University of Wisconsin Colleges students may enroll in an independent study course (correspondence course) through University of Wisconsin-Learning Innovations if the course is not offered at a University of Wisconsin Colleges campus and if the University of Wisconsin-Learning Innovations Independent Learning catalog indicates the course is offered for university degree credit. Students will be expected to complete the correspondence course at the same time as their regular University of Wisconsin Colleges semester courses. Full-time students may take one University of Wisconsin-Learning Innovations course at no extra cost other than fees for text materials bought through University of Wisconsin-Learning Innovations and a small registration fee. The fee for the course will be waived if the following conditions apply:
- Full load tuition fees at a University of Wisconsin Colleges campus are paid;
- Total credits do not exceed 18 or the maximum allowed by University of Wisconsin Colleges; and
- Written permission has been obtained from the campus Student Services Office to take the course.
University of Wisconsin-Learning Innovations correspondence course fee waiver registrations are accepted only after semester fees have been paid and no later than the end of the second week of classes. Such registrations are not accepted during summer session. Contact your Student Services Office for an independent study list and appropriate forms.
Additional information about University of Wisconsin Learning Innovations Independent Study courses can be found in the Credit Earning Options area of this site.
Late Registration
You may register late, observing the same regulations as for adding courses. Late registration is subject to any late registration charge in effect under Regent policy.
Adding Courses
You may add a course or courses online at any time up until the first day of classes via the "Add a Class" function in PRISM. Some campuses will allow students to add classes online through the first two weeks of classes of a semester-long course, the first week of an eight-week course, or during a proportionate time for shorter classes. On other campuses, students must go to the Student Services Office to be approved to add a class during this time. All adds must occur by the deadline dates published in the campus course schedule. Exceptions to the time limit are made only with the written consent of the instructor.
Dropping Courses
You may drop a course or courses online at any time up until the first day of classes via the "Drop a Class" function in PRISM. Some campuses will allow students to drop classes online through the first 10 weeks of semester-long classes, or the first five weeks of an eight-week course, or during a proportionate time for shorter classes. On other campuses, students must go to the Student Services Office to be approved to drop a class during this time. All drops must occur by the deadline date published in the campus course schedule. Exceptions to the time limit are made only with the written consent of the instructor.
If a course is dropped after the second week of classes for a semester course, or, after the end of the first week of courses less than 12 weeks in length, a grade of "W" will be recorded on the student's official record. University of Wisconsin Colleges may establish procedures for dropping students administratively if the students do not attend one or more of the first class sessions in a semester. The number of class sessions missed before implementation of an administrative drop is at the discretion of the University of Wisconsin Colleges.
Grade Appeal Policy
The UW Colleges Grade Appeal Policy is based on the following principles: (1) the faculty has responsibility for assignment of grades; (2) students should be free from prejudicial or capricious grading; and, (3) no grade may be assigned or changed without departmental faculty authorization. The following steps constitute the procedure to be followed by a UW Colleges student wishing to appeal a grade:
- A grade appeal should normally be initiated within 30 days of receipt of the grade report. Prior to making a formal appeal, the student should check with the instructor to make sure that no clerical error has been made.
- The student shall submit a written appeal to the instructor detailing the basis on which the student believes the grade ought to have been different. During this first phase of the process, the student and instructor might meet to discuss the bases for the grade, if both are willing to do so. The instructor shall normally respond in writing to the student within 30 days.
- The student may continue the appeal process by submitting his/her case, including copies of all correspondence to date, to the chair of the appropriate academic department or, in the case of a conflict of interest, to a designee appointed by the department's Executive Committee. This must be done within 30 days of receiving a written response from the instructor, and the department chair or designee shall acknowledge the appeal in writing with a copy to the instructor.
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Each department must have a review process and review body to adjudicate grade appeals. The review body should examine available information to determine if any of the following grounds for changing a grade are present: inconsistent treatment, procedural errors, capricious judgments, or use of inappropriate criteria. The review body may request additional information from the instructor and/or may ask to see copies of the student's work. The department shall conclude its review within 60 days. After first securing the endorsement of the Department Chair, the chair of the reviewing body shall inform the instructor and student of the outcome of the review with copies to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Department Chair, the Registrar, the campus Director of Student Services, and the Campus Dean. If the review process finds with the student and a change in grade is recommended, the Department Chair or designee shall notify the instructor, discuss the findings and suggest that the instructor change the grade and so notify the student. Should the instructor decline to change the grade, the Chair or designee shall forward the findings to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs who will effect the change.
If the review upholds the original grade, the Department Chair or designee, having already endorsed the review body's report, need take no further action.
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The student may appeal a decision upholding the original grade by requesting that the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs receives such a request for review, he or she shall examine the record created by the departmental review body, and shall uphold the decision of that body unless he or she finds:
- The evidence of record does not support the findings and recommendations of the departmental review body;
- Established procedures were not followed by the departmental review body and material prejudice to the student resulted;
- The decision was based on factors proscribed by state or federal law regarding equal educational opportunities; or
- The decision was arbitrary and capricious. Should the Vice Chancellor's review find any of the above, the Vice Chancellor will remand the appeal to the department for action consistent with the finding.
Withdrawal
Withdrawal means terminating your registration in all courses for the semester. Non-attendance does not constitute official withdrawal. While you may drop individual classes online through PRISM, you will not be able to withdraw completely from the UW Colleges by this method. You must contact your campus Student Services Office to process a complete withdrawal from school. You may officially withdraw from the University by:
- Withdrawal Form
- Submitting a completed Withdrawal Form to the campus Student Services Office. The effective date of withdrawal will be the date this form is received in the Student Services Office; OR
- Letter
- Directing a dated letter with your signature to the campus Student Services Office stating your desire to withdraw. The postmark date will be used to determine the effective date of withdrawal. This letter must be post-marked no later than the end of the 10th week of classes; OR
- Telephone Call
- If this option is used, the date of the call will be used as the effective date of withdrawal. The telephone call must be followed by a signed letter of authorization, postmarked within two (2) days of the call. If the letter is not postmarked within these two days, the postmark date will determine the effective date of withdrawal.
If you are attending a University of Wisconsin Colleges campus that rents textbooks, the official withdrawal process includes the return of the texts to the appropriate office.
You must complete the official withdrawal process in one of these three ways no later than the 10th week of classes of any semester, the end of the fifth week of an eight-week summer session, or proportionate time for a shorter session. If you do not withdraw in any of the ways described. you will receive grades in all courses for which you were registered.
Tuition refunds are governed by the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Fee Refund Schedule, issued annually. The date your withdrawal is completed officially is the date used for calculating tuition refunds.
Any student who withdraws from two consecutive semesters will not be eligible to enroll without seeking readmission. (This does not affect students who enroll for an original credit load of less than six credits in each of two consecutive semesters.) Due to federal regulations that govern Student Financial Aid, you may owe a repayment of your financial aid if you withdraw from the University. Withdrawing from school may also affect your future eligibility for financial aid if you do not fulfill the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy requirements.
Contact your campus Student Services Office if you have questions about financial aid and/or withdrawing.
Tuition
See Tuition for this information.
Resident Status for Tuition Purposes
Regulations determining residency status for University of Wisconsin admission and tuition are in the Wisconsin Statutes. Students are classified as a resident or non-resident when they are admitted to the University of Wisconsin System.
Students who do not qualify as a Wisconsin resident must pay non-resident tuition in addition to student fees. Residency regulations for tuition purposes differ from those established for voting or paying taxes.
Minnesota residents may qualify for Minnesota's resident tuition by applying to the:
Minnesota Higher Education Services Office (MHESO)1450 Energy Park Drive
Suite 350
St. Paul, MN 55108-5227
(651) 642-0567 or 1-800-657-3866
http://www.ohe.state.mn.us
Students who have been residents of Menominee County, Michigan, for at least one year prior to their enrollment date may enroll at University of Wisconsin-Marinette County as Michigan-Wisconsin compact students. This compact agreement permits students to pay the resident tuition rate at University of Wisconsin-Marinette County only.
Students who are classified as a non-resident for tuition purposes and believe their classification is incorrect should contact the campus Student Services Office.