Undergraduate Policies

Academic Level

A student’s academic level is determined by the cumulative number of units satisfactorily completed, as follows:

Freshman 0.00 - 23.99
Sophomore 24.00 - 59.99
Junior 60.00 - 89.99
Senior 90.00 +

Note: The prerequisite given in the course listing refers to the qualifications and/or standing needed to enroll in a given course. If no prerequisite is listed, the course is generally open to all students. If more than one prerequisite is listed, all are necessary unless a choice is clearly indicated. A student who enrolls in a course without the required prerequisites may be dropped.

Academic Program Degree Requirement Term

Students are responsible for meeting all degree requirements in effect at UW-Whitewater at the time that they declare their current major, unless they interrupt their attendance at UW-Whitewater by an absence of four or more consecutive academic terms (including summer), in which case upon re-entry they will be subject to the requirements in effect at that time.

As students enter UW-Whitewater, a requirement term is assigned to their record. They will be held to that set of degree requirements for graduation unless they change majors. Although the UW-Whitewater Catalog is published every year, requirements will be monitored on a term-by-term basis. New students registering for fall term will be held to the curricular changes approved during the preceding term. If a department or college curricular change is made retroactive (due to unusual circumstances), the responsibility is then assumed by the unit making the change to notify all students affected by that change in a timely manner.

Students have the option of requesting a more current set of academic requirements at any time by reporting to their advising location; however, it is not possible to satisfy an earlier set of requirements without permission from the dean of the college of the major. The requirement term on students’ records will be updated automatically as part of the change of major/minor process. All subsequent Academic Advisement Reports (AARs) will reflect the later set of requirements, if the requirements have changed since initial entry into the University.

All Academic standards procedures are available at http://www.uww.edu/academicstandards/.

Good Standing

Students with a UW-Whitewater term and cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above. Some colleges and/or programs may require a combined UW–Whitewater GPA above a 2.00 in order to remain in good standing in the program.

Academic Warning

Students with a term GPA below 2.00 will be placed on Academic Warning. Students will be limited to 15 credits in the following semester. Students would be removed from warning if they receive a 2.00 term GPA in the subsequent semester. However, if their UW–Whitewater cumulative GPA falls below a 2.00, the student moves to Academic Probation.

Academic Probation

Students who have a UW-Whitewater cumulative GPA below 2.00 will be placed on Academic Probation and limited to enroll in 15 unitsin the following term. Students who attain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better are removed from Academic Probation. Student remain on Academic Probation if they maintain a term GPA of 2.00 or higher even if the UW–Whitewater GPA is below a 2.00. Students can be on Academic Probation for multiple semesters.

Academic Dismissal

Students who are on Academic Probation and have a subsequent term GPA below 2.00 will be placed on Academic Dismissal. Students who are academically dismissed are denied all the privileges of the institution and of all organizations in any way connected to it, including any university-recognized living group.

Academic Forgiveness

Based on the criteria below, a student may apply for academic forgiveness. Once implemented, the student’s permanent academic record (transcript and Academic Advising Report) will be marked with an "Academic Forgiveness" notation, and the grade point average calculation will be restarted based only on the units taken after the three year absence. 

Eligibility:

  • Students must be admitted to an undergraduate degree-granting program at UW-Whitewater after having been absent from formal higher education for a minimum of three consecutive academic years.

  • Students must have a pre-absence GPA below 2.50. (Students with a previous GPA above 2.50 should speak with an advisor about utilizing other policies to address academic difficulties, for example, the late withdrawal policy.)

Limitations:

  • Students can only receive approval for academic forgiveness twice; however, students who have been denied in the past can re-apply for later terms.
  • After academic forgiveness is implemented, students returning to UW-Whitewater must earn at least 12 units before graduating. Students entering UW-Whitewater for the first time must meet the academic residency requirement.
  • Academic forgiveness cannot be applied to courses used within an awarded degree. For example, courses utilized in an earned associates degree cannot be forgiven, and those courses will continue to count in the GPA toward a bachelor’s degree.
  • If a student receives academic forgiveness but an accreditation or licensure requires a minimum grade/standard in a specific course or content area, the student will still need to meet that minimum. (For example, if licensure requires a C or above in COMM 110 but the student earned a D in that course, the D would not count in the GPA but the student would still need to retake the course.)
  • The academic forgiveness policy is independent of financial aid regulations. The original coursework and associated grades will continue to be used by the Financial Aid Office when evaluating financial aid eligibility under Satisfactory Academic Progress. Before applying for academic forgiveness, students should consult with the Financial Aid Office if they have been and/or will be a financial aid applicant.

This shall be the only UW-Whitewater undergraduate academic forgiveness policy.

Students who apply for academic forgiveness are not guaranteed to receive it. Academic forgiveness applications follow the deadlines for Academic Appeals for Reinstatement, found on the Academic Standards webpage. The application process, the evaluation of applications, and approvals/denials are managed by the Admissions & Academic Standards Committee. This committee’s decisions are final, and there is no appeals process.

Adding a Major/Minor to a Degree

Students may fulfill the requirements for an additional major or minor after receiving their degree from the UW-Whitewater if the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. The major/minor course and GPA requirements in effect at the time of declaration of intent must be completed.
  2. Course credits used to satisfy the requirements of previous major(s) or minor(s) may not be used, with the exception that credits used in a minor may be used when expanding the minor into a major.
  3. The major/minor transfer course limitation may not be exceeded.
  4. The course selection must be approved by the department chairperson. A major or minor will not be awarded to a student who has not earned a degree at UW-Whitewater.

  5. After successful completion of major or minor, the major or minor department will notify the Registrar’s Office and a transcript note will be added to the student’s academic record.

Course Equivalency from Two-Year Campuses

Courses taken at two-year campuses may be equated only to UW-Whitewater 100-level (freshman) or 200-level (sophomore) courses. When a course taken at a two-year college appears to parallel a 300-level (junior) or 400-level (senior) course at UW-Whitewater, the course may be accepted as a general elective.

Course Repeats

Second Attempt At A Course

A course in which a grade of C- or below (C-, D+, D, D- , F, or NC) was originally earned may be repeated once for grade and earned credit replacement. The grade and credits earned for the repeated course (even if it is an F) will replace those earned in the initial attempt when calculating grade point average and credits toward degree. Students may not repeat for credit or grade replacement any course in which they earned a grade of C or higher, or S (see "Repeat for No Credit" explanation below).

The following conditions apply to repeats for grade and earned credit replacement:

  1. Unless the repeat courses are offered as S/NC only, all repeats must be taken for conventional grades, not satisfactory/no credit. If a student is repeating a course in which a grade of NC was earned, the repeat must be on a conventional grade basis.
  2. Courses taken initially at UW-Whitewater may be repeated only at UW-Whitewater; they may not be taken at another institution to replace the UW-Whitewater grade and credit.
  3. Students may repeat a C- grade or below that was earned at a transfer institution if the course has a direct UW-Whitewater equivalent and the course was attempted only once prior to transfer to UW-Whitewater. Students who repeat a transfer course will receive UW-Whitewater course credits regardless of the number of credits the course carried at the transfer institution; for example, a student repeating a 4-unit transfer course with a 3-unit UW-Whitewater course will receive only the 3 UW-Whitewater units. All other repeat regulations apply.
  4. A student may not repeat a course if the student has received credit for a higher level course in the same department for which the course to be repeated is a prerequisite or corequisite; for example, a student who has received credit for English 102 may not repeat English 101.
  5. In courses in which there has been a change in the number of credits awarded, a repeat for grade replacement will replace the credits and grade from the first attempt with the units and grade from the repeat. For example, in a course that had been changed from 5 units to 4 units, a 5-unit D would be replaced by a 4-unit B.
  6. If a student officially drops or withdraws from a repeat course, the original enrollment attempt’s grade and earned credits will be reinstated or remain in the student’s term and cumulative calculations.

All attempts of repeated courses, including the grades, remain on academic records and transcripts even though they may not be included in the GPA calculation or earned units. 

After earning a degree at UW-Whitewater, beginning a second degree restarts the attempted/earned credits and cumulative GPA. Courses taken as part of the first degree and taken again as part of the second degree will not be considered repeats.

Third Attempt At A Course

Students who wish to register for a third (or more) attempt of a course must submit an appeal and gain approval before enrolling in that course. All attempts of a course, including the grades, appear on the student’s official academic record and transcript. The following examples may help to explain how third attempt grade and credits are factored into the official academic record and transcript GPA and earned credit totals:

Example 1: A student enrolls in a third attempt of a course in which a grade of D was earned in the first attempt. The student receives a grade of C- in the second attempt and a B in the third attempt. Only the C- and the credits earned in the second attempt will be included in the GPA and earned credits. After a student earns a passing grade (i.e., a grade of D- or higher) in a repeat attempt, all subsequent attempts will not count for grade replacement or earned credit. Such noncredit attempts will be identified on the academic transcript as “No Credit”.

Example 2: A student enrolls in a third attempt of a course in which a grade of D was earned in the first attempt. The student receives a grade of F in the second attempt and a C in the third attempt. The second attempt’s F grade and the third attempt’s C grade will both be calculated into the GPA and the student will receive earned credit only for the third attempt (the first attempt’s grade and credits are replaced). Unsuccessful repeat attempts (i.e., those with grades of F) are included in the GPA as long as they are prior to the student’s first successful (i.e., grade of D- or higher) repeat of the course.

Example 3: A student enrolls in a third attempt of a course in which a grade of "D" was earned in the first attempt. The student receives a grade of "F" in the second attempt and an "F" in the third attempt. The second attempt’s "F" grade and the third attempt’s "F" grade will both be calculated into the GPA and the student loses the credit s/he had originally earned for the course.

Repeat for No Credit

Under certain circumstances, students may need to repeat courses in which a C grade or above was earned. For example, a student may need to repeat a course if a grade of B is required for the student to proceed to a higher level course or to remain in a major. In such cases, repeat grades will be considered only as qualifying students to continue, and the repeats will not be counted for grade replacement or earned credit. All enrollment attempts will be recorded on academic records and transcripts, with the non-credit attempts identified as No Credit.

Degree Completion Time Limit

If students have not completed their degree requirements within eight years, they may be required by the dean of the college in which they are enrolled to satisfy newer requirements as deemed appropriate. Under special conditions, substitutions are allowed that are in their best interest and considered educationally sound by the dean.

Dual Degrees

Effective Fall 2007, students at UW-Whitewater may pursue two undergraduate degrees concurrently - provided that the degree programs reside in two different colleges (e.g., BA - Letters and Sciences and a BBA - Business and Economics). Students must complete all requirements for both programs, including degree, major and unique requirements; the major from either degree may be used in place of any minor required in the other degree (e.g., the business major from the BBA degree may replace the minor requirement in the BA - Letters and Sciences degree). If all the requirements are completed concurrently, both degrees will be conferred for the same term. Students who wish to pursue programs leading to two degrees to be conferred in the same term should declare their intent with the Graduation Examiner in the Registrar's Office no later than the term in which they will have earned 90 credits.

  • The writing requirement fulfilled for one college is also fulfilled for the other - two not required.
  • Degree requirements may share, meaning one course can fulfill degree requirements from two colleges.

If you are going to be completing a dual degree, please fill out and submit the form for the college of your secondary major.

Enrollment Maximums

Fall/Spring:

An undergraduate student's academic standing determines the maximum number of units in which he/she may enroll in a fall or spring term. Students admitted on academic probation or students with less than a 2.00 cumulative grade point average may enroll for a maximum of 15 units. New freshman with both a high school percentile rank and an ACT or SAT score below the 50 percentile are limited to 15 units. Students with a 2.00 cumulative grade point average or above may register for a maximum of 18 units. Exceptions to the number of units in any of the above circumstances require permission of the dean of the student's major.

Summer:

The unit restriction standard is the maximum of one unit per week for each of the three and six week sessions, with the exception that a student may enroll simultaneously in one three and in one six week course. During the summer term, students are limited to a total of 12 units. Requests for overloads made by undergraduates require approval of the dean of the student's major.

Full-Time Status

For the purposes of fee calculation and enrollment verification, UW-Whitewater considers an undergraduate student is considered full-time when he/she is enrolled in at least 12 UW-Whitewater units during a fall or spring term and at least 6 UW-Whitewater units during the summer term.

Please refer to the Financial Aid pages to see the federal regulations for aid requirements.

Graduation with Honors

Candidates for baccalaureate degrees are graduated with honors if they have earned at least 48 credits in UW-Whitewater courses and meet the cumulative UW-Whitewater grade-point average as specified in the chart below. No credits earned through bypassed courses, credit by examination, or experiential learning may be counted among these 48 credits.

Summa Cum Laude 3.850 or above
Magna Cum Laude 3.600 to 3.849
Cum Laude 3.400 to 3.599

Students may earn graduation honors in a second degree if one of the following two requirements is satisfied:

  • Completing a minimum of 48 credits at UW-Whitewater with a UW-Whitewater cumulative grade point average that meets the requirements as defined for graduation honors above; or
  • Earning a second degree by completing less than 48 credits at UW-Whitewater, but having earned the first degree at UW-Whitewater. Students may qualify for graduation honors if both the grade point average of the second degree itself and the grade point average of the first and second UW-Whitewater degrees combined meet the graduation honors requirement.

Candidates for associate degrees are graduated with Associate Degree Honors if they have earned at least 24 credits in UW-Whitewater courses and meet the cumulative UW-Whitewater grade-point average of 3.40 or higher. No credits earned through bypassed courses, credit by examination, or experiential learning may be counted among the 24 credits.

Note: Final Graduation with honors is determined at the point in time when the degree is posted to the student's academic record based upon the student's grade point average at that time. The commencement ceremony uses the cumulative UW-Whitewater GPA earned the previous semester and looks for minimum UW-Whitewater credit limit.

Minimum Credits (Academic Residency)

  • A minimum of 30 credits of UW-Whitewater coursework is required to qualify for an undergraduate degree.
  • At least 15 of these 30 credits must be taken at UW-Whitewater immediately prior to graduation.
  • A minimum of 25% of the major course credits and 25% of the minor course credits must be completed at UW-Whitewater.
  • Students pursuing any major in the BBA curriculum must complete course work in at least six courses (18 unit minimum) in their major field. A maximum of two transfer courses may count in the BBA major.
  • Associate degree seeking students - 15 of the 60 credits must be taken in coursework at UW-Whitewater.
  • Students must be enrolled at UW-Whitewater during the term in which the requirements are completed.

Second Degree

Students who have received their first degree at the UW-Whitewater may earn a second degree provided that it is not the same as the first degree (e.g., a student whose first degree is a Letters & Sciences BA could not receive a second Letters & Sciences BA degree but would be eligible for a Letters & Sciences BS or Arts & Communication BA). The first degree will be considered to have satisfied all Communication and Calculation Skills, University (General Education), U.S, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, and minor (if any) requirements. Students must complete all other degree and major requirements; credits used to satisfy major requirements in the first degree may not be used to satisfy major requirements in the second degree (credits used in a minor or minors may be applied to the new major). Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits at UW-Whitewater after the date of conferral of the first degree, and a minimum of 25% of the major course credits must be completed at UW-Whitewater.

Students who have received their first degree at another institution may earn a second degree at UW-Whitewater following these same regulations, except that the second degree may be the same as their first degree (e.g., a student who has received a Letters & Sciences BS degree at another institution may earn a second Letters & Sciences BS degree at UW-Whitewater).

Seniors Taking Graduate Courses

UW-Whitewater undergraduate students with senior status may be allowed to complete up to 9 graduate credits at UW-Whitewater, provided they have completed at least 90 credits with at least a 2.75 overall grade point average (or 2.90 over the last half of their course work), have the written recommendation of the department chairperson of their undergraduate major, and have a graduate application on file in the School of Graduate Studies Office. Students may download this form at the School of Graduate Studies.

Eligibility for this privilege must be established with the School of Graduate Studies Office and is not available to seniors at other institutions or to students who already possess a bachelor’s degree. Seniors may not use graduate-level credits to satisfy requirements for the bachelor’s degree, and undergraduate fees will be charged for their graduate-level work.

Term Honors

*Awarded in Fall and Spring terms only*

Undergraduate students having earned a 3.400 or above term grade point average in a spring or fall semester, with no grade below C (e.g., C-, D+, D, D-, F, I, NN, or NC), will be granted Term Honors for that term. To be considered for Term Honors, students must have successfully completed a minimum of 12 credit hours of work for the term, and at least 9 of those must have been taken on a regular/conventional letter grade basis.

Transfer GPA Requirement

UW-Whitewater requires a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average (4.00 system) to transfer; however, admission requirements may be higher for students planning to enroll in particular academic programs and during periods of enrollment limitation.

Waiving a Requirement or Using a Substitute Course To Fulfill a Requirement

If a student can demonstrate mastery of appropriate content (via exam, assessment, or non-equivalent transfer coursework), the individuals listed below may waive a requirement or allow a substitute course to fulfill a requirement in the listed area.

Individual Area

Their Department or in their Major/Minor/Certificate Department Chair (and/or designee)
College/Degree Requirements Dean (and/or designee) of the college of the degree
General Education or U.S. Racial/Ethnic Diversity Associate Dean for Letters and Sciences (and/or designee)
ENGLISH 101 or ENGLISH 102 Chair of the Languages & Literatures Department (and/or designee)
COMM 110 Chair of the Communications Department (and/or designee)
Math Proficiency Requirement Chair of the Mathematics Department (and/or designee)

Notes:

Students will not earn credits for waived requirements or courses; however, if a student can demonstrate mastery of appropriate content via portfolio-based Credit for Prior Learning challenge or the retro-credit policy, the student can earn credit for a course based on prior learning.

If a requirement is waived, additional coursework must be substituted to meet the minimum credits required in the major/minor/certificate, university requirements, or 120-unit graduation requirement.

Outside of the retro-credit policy, students may not earn credit for a prerequisite of a waived requirement if that prerequisite is in the same discipline (e.g. a student may not earn credit for MATH 142 if they have been waived from MATH 151).

30-Day Extension for Graduation

Students may graduate on the official date of graduation for a preceding term if they successfully complete all course and degree requirements within 30 days of the official end of that term. This policy allows for students to use courses completed in Winterim or the first term of the Summer Session when these terms are completed within 30 days of the end of the Fall or Spring semesters, respectively. It is understood that there cannot be an extension beyond the 30-day limit from the previous term for incomplete or progress grades received in Winterim of the first term of Summer Session.