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, review your financial aid package, and sign up for student orientation. 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.
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.
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How to accept your offer of admission
Log in to the MyUW student portal to accept/decline your offer of admission in the Student Center.
- Click on Student Center down arrow/icon and select “Applicant Homepage”.
- Click on the tile page with “Admissions”
- Within the Admissions tile, it has “Application Status”; it will show you the applications that you have submitted.
- Accept/Decline Admission: follow the instructions it gives you to officially confirm.
- If this is your first time logging in, you must activate your NetID. Your Student Center also gives you access to other personalized information, including your financial aid package.
To pay your enrollment deposit by check or money order, please complete and submit the Enrollment Deposit Form.
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 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 an 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. Visit Visit Bucky to register.
8. SIGN UP FOR PLACEMENT TESTS
All freshman 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.
Freshmen 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 ONLINE 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.
You will then be able to sign up for your SOAR Session online. Only students who have confirmed their enrollment and signed up for placement tests 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
| ADMIT TERM | FINAL TRANSCRIPT DEADLINE |
|---|---|
| Fall Freshmen | July 10* |
| Fall Transfer Students (Semester School) | June 14* |
| Fall Transfer Students (Quarter School) | July 10* |
| Spring Freshmen | January 10* |
| Spring Transfer Students (Semester) | January 4* |
| Spring Transfer Students (Quarter School) | January 4* |
| Summer Students | June 8** |
*Or next business day if deadline falls on a weekend.
**This date is for the June 20 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.
REGARDING FINAL TRANSCRIPTS, GRADES, AND EXAMS: We encourage you to continue to engage in learning as you complete your senior year. It is in your best interest to take advantage of any and all resources your school is providing for virtual or alternative learning to best prepare you for the rigorous curriculum you will encounter as a student at UW–Madison. However, we understand the extraordinary circumstances of COVID-19 and its impact on our admitted students and their schools. Though students intending to enroll in the fall will need to have satisfied their high school’s graduation requirements, we will be understanding of the variety of ways in which schools decide to wrap up the current academic year and will not disadvantage students based on these circumstances.
We continue to monitor the changes and delays impacting external exams including the Indian Boards and GCSE/AS/A-levels. You will be messaged later in the year with specific instructions as to how to turn in your final exams.
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.
ADDITIONAL CHECKLIST ITEMS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
In addition to our first-year and transfer Admitted Student Checklists, our international students have some additional steps to complete before arriving on campus, including information on obtaining your visa, the I-20 process, our Financial Verification Form for F-1 and J-1 visa holders, and mailing information for your visa.
THE NEW STUDENT TO-DO LIST
The New Student To-Do List will help you identify and track some of the important tasks you need to complete throughout the summer and into your first year at UW–Madison. First-year, domestic students can access the To Do list through your MyUW or at todo.newstudent.wisc.edu.