All L&S students must earn a minimum of 30 degree credits in residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison after they have earned 86 credits toward their undergraduate degree. Credits are considered “in residence” if they are taken through UW-Madison or through a UW-Madison-administered study abroad or study away program. These credits do not have to be contiguous for the requirement to be met. For more detailed information, see residence requirements for L&S undergraduate students.
This requirement ensures that the student’s depth of study–which should occur in advanced-level courses within the major and in areas of research — is a uniquely UW-Madison experience. Colleges use residence requirements to confirm that those who earn a degree from their institution have completed a reasonable portion of their educational experience at that institution.
Courses that do not count as “in residence” include:
- transfer courses
- courses completed at other Universities of Wisconsin schools, including UW Independent Learning
- courses taken through non-UW-Madison-administered study abroad programs
- courses taken abroad through another institution
- AP credits
- credit by examination
- retroactive credits (retrocredits)
Exceptions for up to eight (8) credits of the senior residence requirement may be approved if a student in good academic standing has a specific need to take fewer than 30 credits in residence as a Senior. To be considered for an exception, please review the information below and complete and submit the Senior Residence Exception Form.
Please read through the information below and then fill out the Residence Exception Request Form.
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Does the College of Letters & Science have any other residence requirements?
Yes. The College also requires that a student complete 15 credits of upper-level work “in residence” AND 15 credits “on campus” in each major a student has declared. There are no exceptions to these requirements.
Courses are considered “on-campus” if they are both in residence and taught by a UW-Madison instructor in-person, online, or in a hybrid mode of instruction. Courses taken through a UW-Madison study abroad program are considered “in residence” but not “on-campus.” In general, courses listed in Course Search & Enroll will be considered “on-campus,” regardless of their modality.
Examples where a senior residence exception may be appropriate
There are three common cases where students with more than 86 credits request a senior residence exception:
- A student plans to take one or two courses at another institution
- A student participates in a non-UW-Madison study abroad program during the second term/semester of their junior year
- A student needs to take up to 8 credits to complete their degree requirements but will no longer be living in Madison
What happens if I do not request an exception or take more credits than the exception allows?
A student’s credits will be transferred to UW-Madison through the Office of Admissions and Recruitment based on their criteria. (See transfer credit for more information.) However, a student’s transfer credits will not reduce the number of credits s/he needs to meet the residence requirement until a formal request has been made for a residence exception.
Students may apply for the senior residence exception retroactively.
Example: Sally has 85 degree credits when she goes abroad in a non-UW-Madison program. She earns 15 credits while abroad. One of these credits will bring her up to 86. If she does not request an exception, the other fourteen credits will be transferred to her record, but she will still need 30 residence credits to complete the requirement. If she is allowed a 6-credit exception, she will only need 24 residence credits to complete the requirement.
What if I already fulfilled the senior residence requirement, but want to take a course out of residence to complete my degree?
Once a student has completed the senior residence requirement, they may take courses out of residence to complete their degree. Note, however, that courses taken out of residence will not have an impact on a student’s GPA, the required 15 credits in residence at the upper-level in each declared major, or remedy any GPA deficiencies.