Admitted First-Year Student Checklist

1. Set Up Your NetID to Access MyUW

MyUW is a student portal that will present new options to admitted students, such as the ability to confirm your enrollment and review and accept your financial aid package.

Locate the 10-digit campus ID number from your admissions letter. Activate your NetID to access the portal. You can also update any changes to your mailing address, phone number, or email address to make sure you receive important email from other offices.

2. Confirm Your Enrollment

Log in to the MyUW portal to accept your offer of admission in the Student Center by the confirmation deadline for the term you were admitted.

This is a required first step for many other Admitted Student Next Steps.

Spring Term Confirmation Deadline: December 15* or ten days from the date of admit letter whichever is later.

Fall Term Confirmation Deadline: May 1* or ten days from the date of the admit letter, whichever is later.

You will then pay the $100 deposit online. It is applied toward your tuition and fees for the first semester and is not refundable after the confirmation deadline.

*If deadline falls on a weekend, it is extended to the next business day.

3. Activate Your @wisc.edu Email Account

If you already have an active NetID and have accepted your admission, you may need to activate IT Services in order to access your @wisc.edu email account. You can activate missing IT Services by following the instructions on the NetID – Activate Missing Services page.

Note: Your IT Services may take up to 24 hours to activate. You will need to wait 24 hours before you attempt to login to your newly activated Office 365 email account.

If you have not yet activated your NetID, use the instructions on the NetID – Activating Your Account page to complete the activation process.

IT Services including your Office 365 Account (@wisc.edu email address assignment) will be activated automatically for students using this process.

Note: Your IT Services may take up to 24 hours to activate. You will need to wait 24 hours before you attempt to login to your newly activated Office 365 email account.

4. Share Your Acceptance Virtually

Share your acceptance with friends and family, and show your Badger pride to the world using our virtual backgrounds, gifs, and profile pictures exclusively for our #FutureBadger admitted students! Hang out with Bucky, Jump Around at a Badger game, and more! Whether you’re catching up with friends or working on a test, you’ll have UW–Madison right behind you!

5. Apply for Financial Aid & Scholarships

Financial aid could include scholarships, grants, on-campus work-study jobs, and student loans. All US citizens and permanent residents should follow instructions provided by the Office of Student Financial Aid to file for federal student aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) which is available online beginning October 1. Remember to list the UW–Madison FAFSA code of 003895. International students should review a list of scholarships and grants provided by International Student Services.

Both current and incoming students can research and explore all the scholarships they qualify for based on their program, background, and interests through the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH).

Once you have submitted your application to UW–Madison and activated your NetID and password, you will be eligible for those scholarships that are awarded automatically.

You can also apply for those scholarships that require an application for consideration. Do not wait until you have been admitted to apply for scholarships. Scholarships will have varying deadlines, but most will have a deadline of February 1.

6. Explore University Housing

Refer to University Housing to learn more about the features of each residence hall and submit your housing application and deposit. After applying, you’ll also select your dining plan, rank your housing selections, and receive your assignment.

7. Sign Up for Admitted Student Events

We encourage you to attend a #FutureBadger Admitted Student Event on our campus in the spring. These events are a great opportunity to learn more about UW–Madison and decide if our campus is your next home away from home. Log in with your NetID in Visit Bucky to explore our offerings and to register.

8. Sign Up for Placement Tests

All first-year students are required to complete placement testing, regardless of previous coursework, AP, or IB credit. You are required to take tests in mathematics and English (or English as a second language) and strongly encouraged to test in the world language you studied in high school.

First-year students who have previous experience in Spanish, French, or German and who plan to take coursework in this language at UW–Madison must take a placement test in that language to qualify and enroll in classes beyond the entry level language course. More information on placement into language courses can be found on the UW-Madison Languages Placement Procedures page. Be sure to review The Guide to determine your degree requirements for world languages and consult with your advisor at SOAR.

Placement tests must be completed at least two weeks before your SOAR session.

Your scores will be used by your academic advisor to accurately place you in a variety of courses. For information about testing, refer to the Testing and Evaluation Services website for incoming UW–Madison students.

9. Sign Up for Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR)

Students admitted for the summer and fall attend SOAR in summer. Students admitted for the spring will be part of the SOAR sessions held in January.

Information will be sent to admitted students via email ahead of SOAR registration becoming available.

You will then be able to sign up for your SOAR Session online. Only students who have confirmed their enrollment will be eligible to register. It is advantageous to have your final grades when attending SOAR.

10. Send Us Your Final Transcript

Make sure to request a final official transcript be sent to our office by the deadline below, after your final grades are posted. Your final transcript must include graduation date.

Final Transcript Deadlines

*Or next business day if deadline falls on a weekend. 

**This date is for the June 19 start. Summer term has multiple start dates. Final official documents must be received by our office at least seven days before the start of the summer term you will be taking coursework in.

It is very important that you successfully complete the course work entered on your application. A curriculum change could affect your admission status, and declining grades may be cause for revoking admission.

Regarding the Final Transcript Listed on Your Pre-Enrollment Checklist: If your MyUW Student Center Tasks do not include a pre-enrollment checklist, then you have completed all necessary steps needed to complete this item for SOAR. Your final transcript and/or documents must be submitted by the appropriate deadline listed above.

11. Send Your AP/CLEP/IB Scores

If you have scores from the AP, CLEP, or IB exams, you might be eligible to receive course credit for your scores. Request that the College Board or International Baccalaureate program send official scores directly to our office, which will arrive electronically directly from the testing agency.