The Graduate School sets only the minimum requirements. Academic program admission requirements are often more rigorous than those set by the Graduate School. Please check your program’s website for details.
Degree
A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or a comparable degree from an international institution is required. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited U.S. bachelor’s degree. You must have completed your undergraduate degree, or similar, before starting graduate school.
For specific information about comparable degrees in your country, and which academic documents are required, refer to this list:
Your school should provide an official translation of your documents, or you must have a translation done by your school or an official translator. Do not submit an evaluation from a credential evaluation service, such as WES, in lieu of a translation.
Transcripts
No official transcripts are required as part of the application. The Graduate School will send an instructional email request after the program has recommended admission.
*Note: All transcripts become property of the UW–Madison Graduate School, and will not be returned.
Grades
A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00 on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 is required. Applicants from an international institution must demonstrate strong academic achievement comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. The Graduate School will use your institution’s grading scale. Do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.
GRE
The Graduate School does not require the GRE. Your academic program may or may not require it. Please check your program’s website for details. Due to issues surrounding COVID-19 some programs have decided to drop or allow flexibility with their GRE requirement.
English proficiency
Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. TOEFL scores must be submitted electronically via ETS. IELTS scores can be submitted electronically or by paper. Our office address is: UW-Madison Graduate School, Office of Admissions, 232 Bascom Hall, 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI 53706. Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.
Applicants are exempt if:
- English is the exclusive language of instruction at the undergraduate institution; or
- you have earned a degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university not more than 5 years prior to the anticipated semester of enrollment; or
- you have completed at least two full-time semesters of graded course work, exclusive of ESL courses, in a U.S. college or university, or at an institution outside the U.S. where English is the exclusive language of instruction. Completion of graded course work cannot be more than five years prior to the anticipated semester of enrollment.
Choose your country from this drop down list for specific information about English proficiency:
The required proficiency scores are:
Minimum TOEFL requirement: 92 internet (iBT); 580 paper-based test (PBT)
Minimum IELTS requirement: 7.0
Minimum IELTS Indicator requirement: 7.0
(The IELTS Indicator test will be accepted temporarily due to COVID-19. Applicants can have them sent to us by choosing University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate Studies.)
**Note: We do not accept Duolingo.
Under certain circumstances, with program approval, admission may be granted with the following scores. However, in order to be admitted, an English assessment test (ESLAT) will be required upon arrival, and any recommended English as a Second Language (ESL) course must be completed successfully in your first semester. Below are the ranges in which an ESLAT will be required:
TOEFL (IBT) 80-91
TOEFL paper based 550-579
IELTS 6.5
IELTS Indicator 6.5
We will not accept scores compiled from multiple tests to meet English proficiency requirements.
International financial information
International applicants are required to have adequate financial resources to cover expenses for the duration of their studies at UW–Madison. Do not send any financial statements to the program. The Graduate School will request the documents through your online status check page.
Previously enrolled graduate students
If you were previously enrolled as a graduate student at UW–Madison but have had a break in enrollment for at least one fall or spring semester, you will need to apply to resume your studies.
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To apply
- You must complete an online application to be considered for reentry. If you are applying for readmission to your previous program you should select “Reentry” in the dropdown menu. You may not need new recommendations or statement of purpose, but you should confirm this with your program. If you are applying for a new degree program or were last enrolled longer than five years ago, you will need to fill out a new application.
- All reentry applicants must pay the $75.00 application fee, plus the $6.00 processing fee if you are an international applicant. This is regardless of the last time you were enrolled, and is non-refundable.
- Submit the online application at least six weeks prior to the start of your intended semester.
- After you submit your application, the program will review your records including your application.
- See your status in MyUW. If you have attended any other colleges or universities since your last enrollment, you must list those institutions and submit official transcripts to your program.
- Contact your intended program regarding deadlines and additional admission requirements.
- The program will approve or deny your request for reentry by making a recommendation to the Graduate School. The Graduate School makes the official offer of admission; read more information on the shared admission process page.
- To reapply click here.
Time limits
If you have not maintained continuous enrollment, you must submit an online application and pay the application fee.
Master’s degree students
If you are applying to resume your studies after five years to complete a degree that was in progress, you must fulfill the Graduate School’s minimum credit requirement. Credits earned while previously enrolled are not counted toward this requirement.
PhD students
If you did not take the final oral examination within five years after passing the preliminary examination, you must take another preliminary examination to be awarded dissertator status.
Appeals to time limit policy (after five years)
Your program may submit a written request to the Graduate School’s Office of Admissions and Academic Services if they believe an appeal is appropriate. An appeal provides information demonstrating that you have remained current in your field of study, e.g. a resume showing applicable work experience in your field of study and/or official transcripts from other schools attended. At the time of admission, your program should recommend to the Graduate School which credits, if any, should be counted toward the Graduate School Minimum Credit Requirement for work done more than five years ago.
All Incompletes must be completed during the first semester of enrollment upon your return to graduate studies.
If your native language is not English, you may need to provide a new TOEFL or IELTS score.