Frequently asked questions

You can find the name and contact information of your academic advisor in your WINGS student center, once the assignment is made.   Undeclared majors in the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities and College of Science and Health are assigned to an advisor in the AAC.   Declared majors, undeclared majors in the College of Business Administration, and certain undeclared majors in Pre-professional health programs are assigned an advisor by their college or academic department. 

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We recommend that you meet with your advisor at least once each semester prior to registration.  But, meeting more often will allow you to get to know your advisor and feel more comfortable asking questions.   You should meet with your advisor any time you have questions or concerns that may affect your academic progress at UWL.

You should contact your Colleges Dean's Office if you would like to be assigned to a different advisor.  If you are an undeclared major in the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities, College of Business, or College of Science and Health, please contact the Academic Advising Center. 

UWL does not have a deadline for students to declare a major. However, a good rule of thumb is to have a major in mind to declare by the end of your sophomore year as you will have, most likely, completed your General Education requirements by this time.   Meet with your advisor to start the discussion about majors/careers early during your time at UWL. 

You will need to submit a Change of Program form to the college that your major belongs to.   This form is available in any of the College Dean's Office and the Academic Advising Center.

There is not a limit to the number of times you may change your major.   However, it is important to understand that the more you change your major, the longer it may take you to complete requirements for graduation.   Additional costs associated with your education may also be incurred.

WINGS features the Advisement Report, which outlines all of the specific requirements needed to complete a degree in your declared major.   Because the Advisement Report factors in your completed and in-progress coursework, it is also a good to way track the progress that you are making towards the completion of your degree.

"What If" Advisement Reports are hypothetical reports that illustrate the academic requirements for any undergraduate academic program at UWL.   The "What If" allows students to see how their current courses would apply to a major or minor prior to declaring it.  Instructions for creating a What If Report are available.   Please see an advisor if you have questions about the report.

Any student with a physical, sensory, diagnosed learning disability, AD/HD, a psychological disability, or is a veteran with wounded warrior status is eligible for accommodations through ACCESS Center.  Please contact their office for more information. 

To enroll in an initial English or Math course at UWL, in most cases you must first take the University of Wisconsin Placement Tests for English and Math.  The foreign language placement test may also be needed to enroll in Spanish, German, and French coursework as well.  The Admissions Office usually provides new freshman with information about test dates each spring after they have been accepted to the university.   For additional information about the UW Placement Tests, please contact the Counseling and Testing Center. 

As a student you should be familiar with the registration process in WINGS prior to your date to register for classes.  To familiarize yourself with this process, please view Records and Registration's online tutorials, as well as a video tutorial that is available to you. 

Your registration appointment can be found by going to the "Enrollment Dates" menu in WINGS and clicking on "Details".  Appointment times for registration are commonly determined by the number of credits that you have earned.

There are multiple reasons why a hold may have been placed on WINGS.   Check WINGS to determine which campus office placed the hold and then contact them to see what needs to occur to have the hold removed. 

If you find that a closed class is using a "Wait List" in WINGS, please attempt to join the waitlist (waitlist do have capacity limits). If an enrolled student leaves the class the next person on the Wait list would typically claim the seat (note that it is possible to be bypassed on the waitlist due to the following: time conflict with another class and the waitlist/swap function was not used, adding the class would put you over 18 credits and the waitlist/swap function was not used, or you are already enrolled in another section of the class and the waitlist/swap function was not used. Placing yourself on a waitlist for a class does not guarantee enrollment, so utilizing the Waitlist/Swap process will be helpful.

If the closed course is not using a waitlist, you can contact the instructor of the course to see if they might be open to letting you into the course via an override. Overrides are at the instructor's discretion and they may not be able to accommodate you. If the instructor is agreeable to giving you the override, they will enter the override in WINGS. You would then enroll yourself in the course.

To be considered a full-time student, you must enroll in a minimum of 12 semester credits. Half-time enrollment consists of at least 6 semester credits.

The typical UWL student enrolls in 14-16 credits in the fall and spring semesters in order to graduate in a timely manner. Depending on the student and their circumstances, some students may opt for a higher credit range (17-18) or lower credit range (12-14).

Credits loads of 19 or more constitute an "overload" and may be carried only if an application is made in writing and approved by the Dean of your College.   Override forms for this purpose are available in the College Dean's Office and are required at the time of registration. Please bring the signed form to the Records and Registration Office. 

Overloads will not be considered for first semester freshman or for any student with a cumulative G.P.A. or less than 3.25.

Students can enroll in a maximum of three credits during the winter intersession.

The maximum credits that can be earned during the summer session is 12. In order to receive financial aid for summer school, you must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits). Students who are Pell Grant eligible may be eligible for a Pell Grant in the summer even if they are below half-time. 

When a student "drops" a course, the course is not recorded in their academic records and it is if they were never enrolled in the class. For a full semester course, a drop can only occur in the first five days of the semester. For drop deadlines for a half semester course, see Records and Registration's Dates and Deadlines. 

When a student "withdraws" from a course, the class is recorded in their academic records with a "W" rather than a letter grade. For full semester courses, students enrolled in a course after the fifth day can withdraw from a course provided it is done by the deadline established by the Records and Registration Office.

First talk to your course instructor. While you may have performed poorly on an exam, your instructor won't necessarily know that you're struggling unless you speak up. All UWL faculty are required to hold office hours (commonly listed in the course syllabus), so use this time to talk about your progress in the class. Sometimes things are not a bad as they seem to you.  Other times, things may be much worse than you realize. Your instructor can provide you with a clearer picture of your situation and options for additional assistance such as tutoring or study tips. In any event, communication with your instructors is essential to your success as a student. So don't delay!

If you feel that your study skills are affecting your academic performance.  Please consider working with the Counseling and Testing Center. Their office has an Academic Skills Specialist that may be able to provide you with tips for issues such as study skills, time management, test anxiety, note taking, etc. Their office also has Academic Skills- Self Help materials available, as well as Academic Skills Groups that meet during the semester. Other resources would be self help materials from Student Academic Success Services (University of Minnesota) or  Academic Success Center (Iowa State University).

If you have met with your course instructor and received additional help, but your performance is not improving - perhaps it is time to consider whether a withdrawal from the course is in your best interests.   The decision to withdraw is yours to make and should be made only after you have consider all of the consequences.

For example, will you go below full-time status if you withdraw?   Going below full-time status may affect housing, financial aid, athletic eligibility, and other benefits that you may be entitled to as a full-time student.  See your advisor for guidance if you're considering withdrawing from a course.

Review the Policy: It is important for you to review the UWL Catalog for information about retention standards, probation, and suspension. As stated in the catalog, students who are on probation will have an academic probation registration restriction (negative service indicator) placed on their student record.  You must meet with the academic advisor of your primary major before registering for new semester in order to remove this restriction.  

Complete "Plan for Success": Prior to meeting with your advisor, you should read through the Plan for Success form, as a starting point for reflecting on your academic experience. Complete the introductory portion of the form, including name, ID#, GPA and information about credits earned, as well as indicate your academic and personal concerns. You can then work with your advisor to complete the rest of the Plan for Success together. In your advising meeting, begin a dialogue with your advisor about the academic and personal issues contributing to your inability to be successful in classes, specifically discussing your concerns and available resources for managing them. As reflected in the Plan for Success form, students are asked to identify strategies they plan to implement to achieve a higher level of academic success. Often, the factors leading to probation involve multiple academic and personal concerns that need to be addressed, and sometimes this takes more than one semester to get under control. 

Class Scheduling: As part of the Plan for Success, you can work with your advisor to create a class schedule that reduces or eliminates the factors that are detrimental to your academic success, improves your GPA, and advances your academic standing. The goal is to create a class schedule that you find engaging, but not overwhelming. 

• Credit Load: Advisors should help students determine a reasonable credit load. Students with few, low-impact commitments outside of class might benefit from carrying 14-16 credits; but, a student who works 20 or more hours per week, for example, might be advised to enroll in 14 or fewer credits. However, some studies suggest that too few hours devoted to coursework may allow attention to be diverted to non-academic pursuits. Students and advisors should be familiar with the university schedule regarding advising, add/drop deadlines, and withdrawal processes.
• Repeating Courses: Repeating courses is the quickest way for students to raise their cumulative GPA. Students may consider repeating a course that is critical to their academic goals. However, if a course has already been repeated unsuccessfully, advisors and students should discuss whether to repeat a course again. 
• Financial Aid: If financial aid or finances are a primary concern, plan ahead. You should work with the Financial Aid Office for answers to any questions about money management, financial aid policies, scholarships, or on-campus student employment.  

Undergraduate students only have the option of repeating a course in which they earned a grade of "D" or "F".  Students that opt to repeat a course should note that the grades from the any previous attempt of a course is never deleted from their academic record.  However, it is only the grade earned in the latest attempt of the course that will be used in the calculation of their cumulative G.P.A.   Therefore it is possible for a student to improve their cumulative G.P.A by repeating a course and earning a higher grade. 

Please note that students may not go to another university to repeat a course in which a grade has been earned at UWL.

There are specific classes at UWL that have been approved for pass/fail grading.  Students do not have the option to request to take a graded course on a pass/fail basis.

You are responsible to your respective instructors for all absences.   If you are absent for an extended period of time (over one week) due to illness, family emergency, etc., please contact the Office of Student Life.  Their office will inform the instructors involved of your absence.   This serves as notification only, not necessarily a formal excuse.  It is your responsibility to contact each of your instructors for make up assignments and exams.

Students earning a degree a UWL complete the following requirements: 120 credit hours, 40 credit hours of 300/400 level coursework, general education, a major, and college core requirements (college core requiremens are waived for specific degrees).   

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees have a prescribed set of requirements that is determined by the College that your major belongs to.  Though some majors do allow students the choice of a B.A. or B.S., there are majors where the Bachelor of Science is the only choice.  If you are given a choice, meet with your advisor to discuss your options and how this may affect your selection of classes.

The Academic Services Director in each college will verify that degree requirements of candidates for graduation are being met. If you have questions about this process, please consult your Dean's office.  

Students seeking to apply to UW-La Crosse as a transfer student should consult with the Admissions Office.  They have very useful transfer information that will help you through this process.

If you have a declared major, please work with the Academic Services Director of your assigned College.  If you are undeclared major, the Academic Advising Center will assist you. 

If you disagree with how a course transferred to UWL or how it is being applied towards your degree requirements, a formal appeal process is available. Consult with the Academic Services Director of your College.  They can review and explain the transfer of credits and the appeals process. 

While AAC advisors and the Academic Services Director of your current college will be able to answer questions about the process of leaving UWL, it is the admission staff/advisors at the school that you are transferring to that should be your primary source of information regarding questions that you have about your new institution.  If you are transferring within the Universities of Wisconsin Transfer Wisconsin  can be a resource for you.