Admission Procedure

The application for admission to enroll in a graduate course, graduate certificate, or graduate program must be submitted to the Admissions Office with an application fee and additional materials if required.  Information about specific dates and required materials can be found on the Graduate Student website.    

An official transcript must be sent directly to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire either through secured electronic transmission or via the postal service (not email) for any institution where you obtained a degree (except UW-Eau Claire) or graduate courses you wish to have considered for transfer credit to apply toward your intended degree program at UW-Eau Claire. Current or former UW-Eau Claire students do not need to provide transcripts from UW-Eau Claire; however, submission of an application constitutes authorization to review the UW-Eau Claire record. Additional transcripts may be required, particularly for certification and licensure programs.  All transcripts become a part of your permanent file and cannot be returned.

An application for admission may be considered during an applicant’s last semester as an undergraduate student.  Admission to graduate study in such cases is conditional, pending satisfactory completion of the bachelor's degree requirements and meeting all other requirements for admission.

If you would like to be considered for a graduate assistantship position, the Graduate Student Foundation Fellowship, or the Advanced Opportunity Program (AOP) grant, the priority application date is March 1 for the upcoming academic year (including the following summer session).  Once you have submitted an application for admission to a UW-Eau Claire graduate program and have activated your UWEC account, you may complete the online Graduate Studies Assistantship, Fellowship, AOP Application as well as other scholarships on the Gold for Blugolds scholarship site.  You will login into the Gold for Blugolds using your UWEC username and password and should find this application under “My Tasks”.

Graduate Application Fee Policy

A non-refundable graduate application fee of $56 shall be assessed by the University for the application for admission. The fee does not apply toward the student’s other tuition and fees. The fee is good for four full semesters (two years).

Graduate applicants may apply to one program at a time. There is no waiver of the application fee. If an applicant is applying for a second graduate degree, (the first from UW-Eau Claire), or if they previously have been admitted and enrolled in a UW-Eau Claire graduate program, they will not be assessed the application fee again. If the first graduate degree is from any other institution, an application fee will be assessed. Students applying to be reclassified will not be assessed an application (processing) fee. Reclassification is an accepted graduate student requesting to change programs. If an applicant is admitted, but does not enroll at any time during the first two years, they will need to reapply, update their application, and pay a new application fee.

If an applicant is denied admission to one program and then wants to be considered for the same or a different program within two years of the receipt of the initial application fee, a new fee is not required.

International Student Admission

All international students whose native language is not English must prove English Proficiency. Students must submit an official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of at least 76 Internet-based test (or 550 for the paper-based), an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall band score of 6.0, a Duolingo overall score of 115 or other approved methods of demonstrating English Proficiency found on the Graduate Student website.  International graduate students enrolled in on-campus programs are required to provide proof of financial resources as part of the enrollment process.  Although on-campus employment may be available, an international student should not plan to secure any finances through employment in the United States.

All international students enrolled in on-campus programs are required to purchase the UW System accident and sickness insurance.

Notification of Admission

Upon completion of review of the application materials, the Graduate Dean (or Dean of the College of Business for MBA Program) will notify the applicant in writing of the disposition of the application for admission. A decision regarding admission may be appealed to the Dean, and the Dean may also initiate referral of individual cases to the Council. In all cases, the Graduate Dean will notify the applicant in writing of action taken on appeals or referrals.

Admission to a Degree Program

Admission to a degree program is based upon evaluation of the student’s academic record and previous experience by the graduate faculty of the department(s) offering the program. All applicants must have earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Upon admission to a degree program, the student is assigned an advisor who is a member of the graduate faculty from the department offering the program. Students must consult their advisor(s) regarding program planning and enrollment in courses.

Admission to particular degree programs may include additional requirements in regard to minimum undergraduate GPA, entrance examinations, or prerequisite courses. See requirements for admission to specific degree programs as described elsewhere in this catalog.

Status of Admission

Full Standing: Applicants whose undergraduate GPA from their bachelor's degree granting institution is 2.75 (on a 4.0 scale) or higher or whose GPA for the last half of undergraduate work is 3.0 or higher may be admitted with full standing to a particular graduate program upon recommendation of the Program Director, College Dean, and Graduate Dean. Additional requirements may be specified by particular degree programs.

Conditional: Applicants whose undergraduate GPA falls below 2.75, or who are currently completing a bachelor's degree, or who have not met the prerequisite requirements for admission to a program, may be admitted conditionally upon recommendation of the Program Director, College Dean, and Graduate Dean, when other sufficient evidence of ability to complete graduate work is presented. Additional conditions or requirements for admission also may be specified by particular degree programs.

Non-Degree Seeking (Special) Graduate Student

Persons wishing to take courses for graduate credit without admission to a particular graduate program may apply to become a non-degree seeking (special) graduate student. The application process is the same as a degree seeking graduate student (see Admission Procedure). To be eligible, an applicant must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. A student who fails to meet the minimum GPA requirement for admission to a graduate degree program also may be permitted to enroll as a non-degree seeking student. If application to a particular graduate program is made subsequently, credits earned as a non-degree seeking student will be considered on the basis of appropriateness to the degree program. No more than nine credits earned as a non-degree seeking graduate student may later apply to degree requirements without prior approval of the appropriate Graduate Program Director. Individuals who wish to register for graduate nursing courses as a non-degree seeking (special) student should consult with the Nursing Graduate Program Director in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences to receive permission to enroll. Non-degree seeking graduate students are not eligible for the financial aid programs described elsewhere in this catalog.

Students who have applied and enrolled as non-degree seeking graduate students must reapply only if they have not enrolled in any courses at UW-Eau Claire for three years. 

Students who have previously been academically dismissed from a graduate program are not eligible to return to the University as a non-degree seeking (special) student. Instead, they must go through the appeals process specified in their letter of dismissal. 

Special Auditors

Board of Regents policy makes it possible for students to audit courses at reduced costs as follows: Wisconsin residents may audit classes by paying only 30 percent of the normal per credit academic fee and non-residents may audit by paying 50 percent of the non-resident academic fee. In both cases any special course fees or materials are additional.

Transfer of Credits

Up to nine* credits of transfer graduate coursework may be approved to count toward a graduate degree earned at UW-Eau Claire. This limit of nine* transfer credits includes both courses taken prior to admission and after admission. These credits must be earned from another regionally accredited institution that is offering a comparable graduate degree program. Only courses in which a B (GPA of 3.00) or above is earned and representing course content equivalent to that offered by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will be accepted and applied toward graduate degree programs. Transfer course grades are not computed in the resident GPA at UW-Eau Claire. No credit toward a graduate degree will be allowed for correspondence work.

*The BSN to DNP degree program is an exception to the nine credit transfer policy. A maximum of 20 credits of graduate transfer course work may be accepted for the BSN to DNP program.

Transfer of Credits Earned Prior to Admission

An official transcript must be sent directly to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire either through secured electronic transmission or via the postal service (not email) for any institution where you obtained a degree (except UW-Eau Claire) or graduate courses you wish to have considered for transfer credit to apply toward your intended degree program at UW-Eau Claire.  Graduate credits earned prior to admission, but not reported on the application for admission nor documented, will not be considered for transfer after admission.

Transfer of Credits Earned After Admission

Students who wish to take courses at another institution and transfer the credits to their approved graduate program must obtain permission to do so before enrolling in the courses. Forms for this purpose are available on the Graduate Studies website. Without prior permission, a student has no assurance that courses taken at another institution will be acceptable as part of the graduate program. The other institution at which the student wishes to earn graduate credits may provide a form for documentation by an official of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire of the student’s graduate standing, allowing registration at the other graduate school for the purpose of earning credits to be transferred. If such a procedure is not available, the student may be required by the other institution to file an application for admission.

Credits Earned in Programs Established through Inter-Institutional Agreements

Graduate credits taken in a program developed between UW-Eau Claire and one or more other institutions and established by a formal inter-institutional agreement will not be considered transfer credits under these guidelines.

Transfer of Extension Credits

Credits earned in extension courses sponsored by UW-Eau Claire and in off-campus (outreach) courses offered by UW-Eau Claire are not considered transfer credits by UW-Eau Claire.