Transfer Tips for Prospective School of Education Students

1. Advising is important.

See your UW-Madison School of Education advisor early and often! Many School of Education programs limit enrollment and require competitive admissions; most of these limited enrollment programs require prerequisites, minimum credits in the major, or minimum grade-point averages simply to be eligible to apply. Teacher education students must take and submit scores for a basic skills test, often with different timeframes and deadlines than other admission materials.

Some of our most frustrating advising experiences occur when transfer students arrive on campus with clear academic and career goals but inadequate preparation for their professional program. Some students choose to go to a technical college or UW-System institution to save time and money, only to find that they have actually extended their time-to-completion because they did not seek advising.

For these reasons, students planning to transfer to UW-Madison should identify an appropriate advisor here on campus as early as possible. We are happy to set up advising appointments by phone. Find detailed advising information here.

2. You may need to complete two applications, not just one.

All transfer students must apply to the campus for general admission. Go to the following Undergraduate Admissions website for detailed information on transfer application and admission: http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/transfer.php.

Many transfer students may also be eligible to apply to their professional program of choice. This means that they must be managing two application/admission processes--one for the campus and one for their professional program in the School of Education. These processes are parallel but not related; EAS and Undergraduate Admissions usually do not share information or materials. Thus, applicants will need to provide transcripts to both Undergraduate Admissions and EAS. Application forms may be time-consuming but very different. Students who apply to campus but fail to apply to their professional program will not be considered for program admission. Likewise, students admitted to their School of Education program must simultaneously be admitted to UW-Madison.

3. How will my courses transfer?

At UW-Madison, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions determines officially the equivalence of transfer courses, based on decisions by campus departments. See: http://www.admissions.wisc.edu/transfer/credit.php.

Consult with your  Education Academic Services advisor. Most EAS advisors have access to the course equivalency database used by Undergraduate Admission staff. Advisors may be willing to do an unofficial review of a few courses as an aid in making course choices. Remember that any determinations by EAS staff are tentative and unofficial; formal equivalency determinations are made by Undergraduate Admissions.

Note that faculty may legitimately require students to complete UW-Madison professional courses, even if apparently equivalent courses are offered at another institution.

4. Will my transfer grades count?

Grades from transfer courses are NOT posted to the UW-Madison transcript. However, the School of Education uses ALL attempted transferable course work to determine program admission eligibility and selection. Students should be aware that grades earned at another institution will be included in program and admission calculations. (Courses for which an "F" is earned do not transfer to UW-Madison.) See your EAS advisor if you have additional questions about this policy.

Comments or Problems: easinfo@education.wisc.edu.
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