application process
It is always best to apply well in advance for admission, preferably early in the last semester at your current institution. To apply, please complete and submit the University of Wisconsin System application form. The electronic application is available on the Internet at www.apply.wisconsin.edu. Paper applications are available from our Admissions Office (262/472-1440) or any Wisconsin high school counselor's office.
A $44 application fee is required from all students except those whose last institution was one of the two-year University of Wisconsin Colleges. You must also submit official transcripts from all post secondary institutions you have attended, plus an official high school transcript. If you are currently attending a post secondary institution, please list your current courses. Test scores are not normally required. You may be accepted tentatively during your last term of enrollment at the sending institution provided you meet minimum requirements for University admission. If you are not currently enrolled you should apply one semester prior to your desired enrollment date. We will notify you of our admission decision by mail usually within three weeks of receipt of all application materials. Important documents regarding credit transfer and evaluation will be included with your letter of admission; subsequent mailings will inform you about transfer orientation and registration, housing and other important details.
Application Checklist
- Complete the online application at apply.wisconsin.edu
- Submit $44 USD application fee (students transferring directly from a 2-year UW system college do not pay this fee)
- Submit final high school transcript / GED / HSED
- Submit official transcripts from all colleges and/or universities ever attended
- If military experience, submit copy of DD214 or military transcript (to be awarded credit for military experience)
We have created a PDF Checklist that is available for download. It is able to be printed and/or saved for your convenience. Click here to download it.
Admission Eligibility Criteria
The university's core values are used as a guide to interpreting the contents of each application presented for admission, and a comprehensive review of all materials is performed for each applicant before making an admission decision. Both the academic and nonacademic factors present in an application are used to make an admission decision. Academic records are reviewed based on a minimum 2.0 (4.0 system) cumulative grade point average (GPA) having a minimum of 12 transferable credits for transfer student admission. Requirements may be higher if you are planning to enroll in certain academic programs or during periods of enrollment limitation. Nonacademic factors include, but are not limited to, leadership, community service, creativity, special talents and personal characteristics that contribute to the strengths and diversity of the university. The most competitive candidates for admission to UW-Whitewater typically possess positive factors in their application that are both academic and nonacademic in nature. Students who are enrolled in their first semester or who will not complete 12 transferable credits will be evaluated using new freshman admission criteria.
College of Education
Transfer students may be required to establish a GPA at UW-Whitewater before being considered for admission to professional education. The College of Education will specify the number of credits to be earned at Whitewater before admission to professional education. Some programs in Education may limit admission due to high enrollments. Applications for Professional Education are available at the College of Education Information Desk in Winther Hall.
College of Business and Economics
After completing 54 credits or the following courses, you may apply for admission to the College of Business and Economics:
- ENGLISH 101 Freshman English or ENGLISH 105 Freshman English Honors
- ENGLISH 102 Freshman English
- SPEECH 110 Fundamentals of Speech
- MATH 143 Finite Math
- ECON 201 Microeconomics
- ECON 202 Macroeconomics
- COMPSCI 162, MANGEMNT 999IS or Computer Applications Test
- ACCOUNT 244 Intro to Financial Accounting
- ACCOUNT 249 Managerial or ACCOUNT 341 Intermediate or 342 Cost Accounting
- ECON 245 Business Statistics
- ITBE 280 Introduction to Information Systems (Required if new freshman in fall ’07 or later or if transfer student in fall ’08 or later.)
Students with a 2.8 cumulative GPA or higher will be admitted to the College of Business and Economics. Students with less than a 2.8 GPA may be admitted based on an alternative formula. Application forms for admission to the College of Business and Economics are available in the Assistant Dean's Office in Hyland Hall. It is important for you to know that transfer credit is not given for upper division business courses unless the equivalent courses were taken after completion of 60 credits and were junior or senior level at the previous institution. Please note: grades do not transfer; your grades from previous schools, however, will be considered to determine admission to the programs listed above.
Transfer Credit Evaluation
Once your application is complete, we will prepare a transfer credit evaluation for you. This means that we will convert your prior courses to the UW-Whitewater course numbering system wherever possible. When a transfer course is determined to be equivalent to a Whitewater class, a specific Whitewater course number will appear on the evaluation. If the course(s) you completed are not directly equivalent to UW-Whitewater classes, you will be awarded elective credit. Although grades earned at other post-secondary institutions will be included on the evaluation of transfer credit and the Academic Progress Report (see below),they do not affect your Whitewater GPA. Grades from other institutions are considered only for purposes of determining eligibility for admission and registration in certain programs or majors such as business,education and social work. Your credit will transfer to UW-Whitewater if the courses were completed at a regionally accredited college or university and the grades earned are recognized as passing (D- or better). To be equated to a Whitewater course, a class from another college or university must be taken for at least 2/3 of the credit for which the class is offered at Whitewater.
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