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A four year graduation agreement

A page within Admissions

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse offers entering freshman students the opportunity to participate in an agreement that ensures graduation within four years of a student's initial enrollment. If the student satisfies all the conditions of the agreement, but degree completion is delayed because the University did not fulfill its requirements of the agreement, then UW-La Crosse will relieve the student of tuition for the required course(s) remaining after the four-year time period. The actual agreement contains details about the student and university conditions, requirements, and remedies. Not all UWL academic programs are included as part of this formal agreement.

This agreement requires the student to work with a four-year agreement adviser to select the appropriate course sequences to ensure timely completion of degree requirement. The four-year timeline begins with the start of the term in which the student first enrolls as a new freshman and ends 48 months later.

The four-year graduation agreement will not be of interest to all entering freshmen, and it is important to understand the options and conditions of the agreement prior to participating in it. There are many factors that may contribute to a student's decision. The advantages of completing a degree program in four years include a) cost savings, b) earlier entry into graduate and professional studies, and c) earlier entry into the workforce. There are also many good reasons why a student may take longer than four years to graduate. For example, a student may:

  • be unsure about a major or course of study
  • choose a major with highly selective and competitive admission standards, for which not all students will qualify.
  • have family or work responsibilities that limit the number of credits a student takes each semester, and the time of day he/she is available to schedule classes.
  • elect to pursue an internship
  • choose to pursue an international study abroad program.
  • participate in athletic or other co-curricular programs that may affect academic progress
  • plan to complete more than one major.

The agreement must be signed within the first seven weeks of a student's initial enrollment when he/she meets with a four-year agreement adviser.

Ineligible majors

The following majors are excluded from the four-year agreement due to the number of credits required for compliance with accreditation standards, course sequencing due to the limited number of students in the program, or credits required for a concentration within a major. Any major not on this list is available for the Agreement.

College of Business Administration

  • International Business

College of Liberal Studies

  • All School of Education Programs
  • French - Business Concentration
  • German Studies - Business Concentration
  • Spanish - Business Concentration

College of Science and Health

  • All Dual-Degree Programs
  • All Teacher Education Programs
  • Biochemistry
  • Biology - Aquatic Science Concentration
  • Biology - Biomedical Science Concentration
  • Biology - Cellular and Molecular Concentration
  • Biology - Environmental Science Concentration
  • Chemistry - ACS Certification 
  • Chemistry - Environmental Science Concentration 
  • Clinical Laboratory Science
  • Exercise and Sport Science - Exercise Science Pre-Professional Track
  • Geography - Geographic Information Science Concentration
  • Geography - Environmental Science Concentration
  • Microbiology - Business Concentration
  • Microbiology - Environmental Science Concentration
  • Microbiology - Biomedical Concentration 
  • Nuclear Medicine Technology
  • Physics - Biomedical Science Concentration
  • Radiation Therapy
  • Therapeutic Recreation

Contact information

More information about the conditions of the four-year agreement is available from the dean's office in each college. Students may contact the following persons:

College of Business Administration

Nicole Vidden, Academic Services Director 
1205 Wittich Hall 
608.785.8090

College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities

Britta Osborne, Academic Services Director
138 Wimberly Hall
608.785.8113

College of Science and Health

Travis Hendrickson or Guy Herling, Academic Services Director 
105 Graff Main Hall
608.785.8218

School of Education

Note: Four-Year Agreement not available for teacher education majors.