DARS is the official campus degree audit used to confirm an L&S undergraduate student’s eligibility to be awarded an L&S degree and for basic degree clearance. If you are viewing this page, you may have received an email from the College of Letters & Science sharing that we have determined using DARS that you have at least one unmet requirement in a declared degree or major program. We encourage you to request and view your DARS via the Student Center to determine which requirement(s) are incomplete. (Please note that the work completion date for an incomplete grade will impact the timing of your graduation.) There are several possible reasons you have an unmet requirement in one of your degree programs. Please see if your situation fits one and act accordingly:
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Do you plan to graduate in a future semester/term?
If you did not intend to graduate this term, you must adjust your intended graduation term through the Student Center. Contact the Office of the Registrar if you need assistance.
Do you have an unresolved grade issue?
If you have an unresolved grade issue such as a P grade for your senior thesis or another unresolved grade (i.e., NR, I, and Q), you will not be able to graduate until you have a final grade for all of your courses. Look over your final grades and contact the instructor for the course or courses in which you have an unresolved grade issue so you can get closure.
Please note that the work completion date for an incomplete grade will impact the timing of your graduation. For example, if you are planning to graduate in May but you finish the work for your incomplete in June, your graduation date will be changed to August.
Once you have confirmed via DARS and your academic advisor that all major and degree requirements have been satisfied AND that you have no unresolved grades (i.e., NR, I, and Q), you will then need to contact L&S Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services to have your degree manually audited if your degree has not been posted. Please make sure you include your full name and your UW-Madison ID number so your records can be reviewed. See graduation and incomplete grades for more information.
Are you expecting to receive a DARS exception to meet a requirement?
If you are expecting to receive a DARS exception to meet a requirement, please follow up with your academic advisor to be sure it has been submitted and approved. Once you have consulted with your advisor, make sure you check your DARS. Consult your academic advisor if your DARS is not complete.
Once you have confirmed via DARS and your academic advisor that all major and degree requirements have been satisfied AND that you have no unresolved grades (i.e., NR, I, and Q), you will then need to contact L&S Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services to have your degree manually audited if your degree has not been posted. Please make sure you include your full name and your UW-Madison ID number so your records can be reviewed.
Have you declared Honors or a major and not completed a requirement?
If your DARS shows you are declared for an Honors program you did not complete, consult an advisor with the L&S Honors Program to determine your next steps. If you need to withdraw from the Honors Program, the academic advisor in Honors will be able to assist you undeclaring Honors. Once you have resolved your issues, make sure you check your DARS. Consult your academic advisor if your DARS is still not complete.
If you are declared for a major you do not intend to complete, contact the undergraduate advisor for that major and cancel it. Then, check your DARS. Consult your academic advisor your DARS is still not complete.
Once you have confirmed via DARS and your academic advisor that all major and degree requirements have been satisfied AND that you have no unresolved grades (i.e., NR, I, and Q), you will then need to contact L&S Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services to have your degree manually audited if your degree has not been posted. Please make sure you include your full name and your UW-Madison ID number so your records can be reviewed.
Did you study abroad?
If you studied abroad on a UW-Madison program, your completed courses will be posted by International Academic Programs. It is important that you submit your courses for equivalencies right away so they can be posted to your record and used by DARS to meet your requirements. Once posted, check your DARS. Consult your academic advisor if your DARS is not complete.
Once you have confirmed via DARS and your academic advisor that all major and degree requirements have been satisfied AND that you have no unresolved grades (i.e., NR, I, and Q), you will then need to contact L&S Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services to have your degree manually audited if your degree has not been posted. Please make sure you include your full name and your UW-Madison ID number so your records can be reviewed.
Do you have transfer credits you need to get posted to your official UW-Madison records?
If you recently completed or are currently taking transfer credit from another institution (this includes UW-Extension/Learning Innovations) you must send an official transcript of completed work to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment. Once the credit is posted, check your DARS. Consult your academic advisor if your DARS is not complete.
Once you have confirmed via DARS and your academic advisor that all major and degree requirements have been satisfied AND that you have no unresolved grades (i.e., NR, I, and Q), you will then need to contact L&S Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services to have your degree manually audited if your degree has not been posted. Please make sure you include your full name and your UW-Madison ID number so your records can be reviewed.
Do you have a GPA deficiency?
If you are below one of the minimum quality of work requirements, you must raise your GPA to the required minimum. The quality of work requirements establish a minimum grade point average in four (4) specific ares that must be met to receive an undergraduate degree from the College of Letters & Science. In order to satisfy these requirements, a student must earn a minimum of 2.000 grade point average on all courses carried at UW-Madison, either passed or not, in the following four (4) areas:
- All courses in major (or majors);
- All upper-level courses in the major, as designated by the major department for the 15-credit residence requirement;
- All courses designated intermediate or advanced
- All courses carried for a grade at UW-Madison (cumulative grade point average, as reported by the Registrar’s Office). Courses carried on a refresher basis are excluded form the grade point average as determined for categories 1, 2, and 3 above. Repeating a failed course WILL NOT remove the failure from a student’s record or from GPA calculations. See is retaking a course at UW-Madison for additional information.
Check your DARS and consult your academic advisor about your options to take additional course work to raise your GPA.
Once you have confirmed via DARS and your academic advisor that all major and degree requirements have been satisfied AND that you have no unresolved grades (i.e., NR, I, and Q), you will then need to contact L&S Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services to have your degree manually audited if your degree has not been posted. Please make sure you include your full name and your UW-Madison ID number so your records can be reviewed.
Are you unsure why you have been notified that you are not graduating?
If you are not sure why you received an email letting you know that you have a graduation deficiency, please contact your academic advisor for help. All current UW-Madison undergraduate students have at least one assigned academic advisor. You can find your assigned advisor(s) in the Academic Navigator via your MyUW portal. See Find an Advisor and refer to Academic Navigator (via My UW) for more information.
Once you have confirmed via DARS and your academic advisor that all major and degree requirements have been satisfied AND that you have no unresolved grades (i.e., NR, I, and Q), you will then need to contact L&S Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services to have your degree manually audited if your degree has not been posted. Please make sure you include your full name and your UW-Madison ID number so your records can be reviewed. Please note that the work completion date for an incomplete grade will impact the timing of your graduation