Welcome, new grad students!
Congratulations on your admission to the University of Wisconsin–Madison! The Graduate School offers support and resources to help you transition to life as a graduate student.
Welcome messages
Starting in May, newly admitted graduate students for summer and fall receive a series of emails from the Graduate School. Students admitted for a spring term receive a welcome message in December.
Find a place to live
The University Apartments community serves UW–Madison graduate students, students with families, postdoctoral researchers, academic staff, and faculty. More information on housing in Madison is available in Graduate Student Life’s housing section.
Explore your new community
Find the vibrant student life in Madison!
Find funding
The Graduate School’s funding page is the place to start when looking for graduate assistantships or fellowship funding for your graduate education. The Office of Student Financial Aid can also help.
Utilize professional development
It’s never too early to start planning your path to success! Check out our professional and career development resources and mark your calendars for upcoming workshops.
Watch for GradConnections Weekly
This weekly e-newsletter is a valuable source for information related to fellowships/funding, professional development workshops and events, academic deadlines, and other timely information of interest to graduate students. Students starting their program in summer and fall begin receiving GradConnections Weekly the first week in September. Students starting their program in spring begin receiving the newsletter in late January.
Graduate Student Life
Graduate Student Life is a valuable resource throughout your time at UW–Madison. Find information on housing, transportation, what to do on a day off or a night out, and tips for staying healthy.
New Graduate Student Checklist
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For all new graduate students
- Activate your NetID.
- Submit your final official transcript showing your posted degree and conferral date to transcripts@grad.wisc.edu.
- Transcripts need to be submitted directly by the institution.
- If your institution does not offer electronic transcripts please send them to:
Graduate Admissions
University of Wisconsin – Madison
232 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706 USA
- Connect with your program, meet your graduate coordinator and faculty advisor, and plan to participate in program orientation activities.
- Set up multi-factor authentication.
- Use (or forward) your WiscMail account, the university’s official method of correspondence. You will get access to your WiscMail around June 15, 2025, and can access it through the Email tile in MyUW.
- Enroll in classes. You will receive an email about a week before enrollment opens with the date and time on which you can enroll. New student enrollment for fall 2025 begins June 23, 2025.
- If you have a need related to a disability, contact the McBurney Disability Resource Center.
- Register for and plan to attend New Graduate Student Welcome on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. Admitted students will receive an email invitation to New Graduate Student Welcome in early July.
- Fill out the Medical Clearances information in your MyUHS account. New students will receive access to MyUHS in mid-July.
- Pay your tuition and segregated fees. Even if you have tuition remission, you usually still have to pay segregated fees. See tuition and fee rates.
- Students with graduate assistantships (TAs, PAs, RAs, and LSAs) have until the first Friday in December for the fall term and the first Friday in April for the spring term to pay segregated fees. See the Bursar’s Office Graduate Assistant Payment of Segregated Fees Policy.
- Complete the online sexual violence prevention program. Newly admitted graduate students will receive an email from University Health Services with instructions on accessing the online program, Graduate and Professional Students Preventing and Responding to Sexual and Relationship Violence, closer to the start of the semester. This program is required for all new graduate students.
- Update your Profile information, such as your preferred name, phone number, and address if you moved.
- Get your Wiscard, UW–Madison’s campus ID card. You must register for classes before you can get your Wiscard.
- Get your student bus pass.
For international graduate students
- Check out the Becoming a Global Badger page from International Student Services for steps to prepare for your time as a Badger.
For graduate students with funding
- If you received federal or state financial aid, update your mailing address in any systems listed in Profile and contact the Office of Student Financial Aid with questions.
- If you are a TA, PA, RA, Fellow, or Trainee, learn about the benefit plans you are eligible for from the Office of Human Resources. Generally, you must sign up for benefits within 30 days of the start of a new job appointment.
- If you need to add a spouse or dependent to your benefits, you’ll need to provide a copy of a marriage certificate (for a spouse) or a birth certificate or adoption papers (for a dependent) before your spouse/dependent can be enrolled in benefits.
- If you are a TA, PA, RA, or LSA, familiarize yourself with the Graduate Assistant Payment of Segregated Fees Policy, which gives graduate assistants a deferred due date to pay segregated fees and other fees not covered by tuition remission.
New Graduate Student Welcome
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
11 am – 4:30 pm
Varsity Hall, Union South
The Graduate School invites newly admitted graduate students to participate in the New Graduate Student Welcome event each year.
New Graduate Student Welcome is an opportunity to hear from the Graduate School and campus leaders, get advice from a panel of current students about grad student life, learn about the many campus and community resources available to you, and meet other new graduate students from across campus.
Welcome Sessions
Check-in begins at 10:30 am. To avoid long lines, arrive early.
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11 am - 1 pm: Resource Fair
Varsity Hall I & II
Meet representatives from campus and community services that support graduate students to succeed at UW–Madison. Learn about their resources and pick up some swag on your way through the fair.
11 am or 11:45 am: Resource Flash Talks
The Marquee
Note: Both 35-minute sessions have the same content, so plan to attend either session.
Hear directly from staff about the ways their offices can help you find and apply for funding, use databases and other tools to gather information related to your research, write better and smarter, and develop your professional and career-related plans and skills.
Presenters include:
- Office of Professional Development, Graduate School
- Writing Center
- Libraries and Grants Information Collection
- Software Training for Students (STS)
- Office of Student Assistance and Support
- McBurney Disability Resource Center
- Office of Access, Engagement, and Funding, Graduate School
1:15 - 2:15 pm: Graduate Student Panels - Question & Answer Session
A panel of seasoned graduate students will answer the large and small questions you have about everything from what can make your graduate student life easier and less stressful to establishing and maintaining relationships with faculty and staff in your program.
Choose one of the following panels to attend:
- Master’s Student Panel, Varsity Hall III: For students whose final degree goal is a master’s degree
- Doctoral Student Panel, The Marquee: For students whose final degree goal is a doctoral/PhD degree (even if currently enrolled in a master’s plan)
2:30 - 4:30 pm: Welcome Remarks & "Meet and Greet" Reception
Varsity Hall III
Campus leadership will welcome graduate students to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
- Dean of the Graduate School William J. Karpus
- Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Charles Isbell
- Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor
The Welcome Remarks will be followed by a “Meet and Greet” Reception at 3 pm in Varsity Halls I & II. Refreshments will be served.
Graduate Student Welcome Week
August 25 – 29, 2025
Each fall, the Graduate School offers a lineup of events during the week or so before classes begin to welcome and help acclimate new graduate students to campus and to welcome back current graduate students.
2024 Welcome Week Events
This list provides a sample of past Welcome Week events. Stay tuned for details on the next Welcome Week in summer 2025.
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Communicating Effectively for Graduate School Success
Whether you’re just starting your graduate program or continuing it, this talk by Dr. Shalini Nag will provide you with practical tips that you can apply immediately. Dr. Nag will share the five types of professional relationships essential for grad school success and offer guidance on in-person and virtual communication. These strategies will enable you to initiate, nurture, and manage those relationships effectively.
Enhancing Your Graduate Degree with a Certificate
What are graduate certificates, and how can they add value to your graduate degree? In this virtual session, faculty and staff representing several graduate certificate programs (and their equivalent doctoral minors) discuss the multiple benefits that these programs provide to graduate students across campus—including fulfilling breadth requirements, expanding interdisciplinary knowledge, mastering new skills, creating community and networking opportunities, and building cultural competence. Attendees will also have the opportunity to speak with each certificate representative in smaller groups.
Flourishing in Graduate School: How to Manage Stress and Maintain Your Mental Health
Want to make graduate school a time to thrive and not just survive? This workshop will focus on promotion of psychological well-being in graduate school. Topics covered will arm graduate students with strategies to thrive through the challenges of graduate school, including managing the transition/adjustment process, coping with stress, promoting work/life balance, and establishing habits to maintain or improve mental health. This event is presented by the Graduate School Office of Professional Development in collaboration with University Health Services.
Time Management for Graduate Students
In this interactive workshop, you will learn tips and techniques for staying on track and managing your time. We’ll cover goal-setting, minimizing distractions and staying focused, and overcoming some of the most common challenges to staying on task. Participants will leave with strategies that they can apply immediately. The strategies we’ll cover are appropriate for students in any discipline.
Cool Tools: Apps and More to Increase Productivity
Prepare to maximize your time and energy this semester by taking advantage of software available to UW–Madison graduate students that can help streamline your workflow. This workshop, presented by Pete Valeo from Software Training for Students (STS), will introduce you to both basic and advanced software tools, including cloud storage services, notetaking apps, mobile scanners, research tools, tasks managers, password managers, lifestyle apps, and more.
Graduate School Dash & Bash
The Graduate School invites you to celebrate the start of the academic year at the Graduate School Dash & Bash. Whether you plan to “Dash” to the finish line, handcycle the route, take a scholarly stroll, or join the “Bash” activities just for the fun of it, all are welcome and encouraged to participate in this free event – new and current graduate students, faculty, staff, and family members.
Anytime - Successful Online Learning
Explore strategies to prepare to learn remotely, engage in your courses, and maximize your time. This module, from the Graduate School, is for grad students taking their first online course or those looking for some new resources on online learning. Enroll in the Successful Online Learning Canvas course at any time.