Overview

The University provides online registration for all students. Each student is assigned a registration time based upon credits earned. A notification that registration times have been assigned is sent to each student via email prior to registration. Students can view assigned registration times on CampS. Registration begins in November for the Spring semester, in October for Winterim, in February for Summer Session, and in April for Fall semester. Advising is required prior to registration for

1. all freshmen and sophomores,
2. juniors and seniors on academic warning or probation,
3. transfers seeking a first degree, and
4. all students with a major in the College of Business regardless of classification or academic standing.

All new degree-seeking students must pay an enrollment deposit prior to registration for Fall, Winterim, Spring, and Summer.

New freshmen register in the summer during their freshman orientation sessions.

Late Registration. A student may enroll for full semester courses after the regular registration period but within the first two weeks of classes. (Permission from both the instructor and the advisor is required during the second week of classes.) Thereafter, any registration must be approved by the Associate Dean of the appropriate College. The deadlines for increasing or decreasing credit in a variable credit course align with the add and drop deadlines associated with the course.

Change of Registration. After registration, courses may be added or dropped or sections changed under the regulations established for this purpose by faculty policy.

Adding courses. Students who wish to add courses during the first week of classes may do so using CampS. After the first week of classes, students must obtain the Change of Registration form from Blugold Central and return the completed form to that office.

Withdrawing from courses. A student who wishes to withdraw from a full-semester course during the first two weeks of classes (no record of enrollment) may do so on CampS without the instructor’s or adviser’s signature. After the second week of classes, students must obtain the Change of Registration form from Blugold Central and return the completed form with signatures to that office. Courses that are not a full semester in length, including Winterim and Summer courses, have earlier withdrawal deadlines. These deadlines can be obtained from CampS, or Blugold Central.

A change becomes official only when it has been processed by Blugold Central (See also Withdrawals).

Enrollment of Undergraduates for Graduate Credit

Upon the recommendation of the student’s adviser, course instructor, and chair of the department offering the course, a University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire undergraduate student may be allowed to enroll in a limited number of graduate courses, provided he or she has a 3.00 undergraduate GPA and has the approval of the College Dean. Qualified students may take up to, but not exceed, a total of nine credits of graduate-level course work, unless enrolled in an approved accelerated graduate plan with a dual bachelor's and master's degree component. The graduate credits cannot be used to satisfy requirements for the bachelor’s degree, unless enrolled in an approved accelerated graduate plan with a dual bachelor's and master's degree component. Application forms for enrollment in graduate courses as an undergraduate may be obtained from Blugold Central.

Auditing Courses

Registering to audit a course permits a student to participate in the class without earning credit. This privilege is helpful to students who wish to review introductory work, especially after a considerable period of absence from the campus. Others choose to audit courses for reasons of personal interest and the enjoyment of learning.

Some courses may be designated by departments or Colleges as unsuitable or unavailable for auditing. In all courses open to auditors, the following conditions apply:

1. Students seeking to register for credit are given priority over auditors.
2. An auditor must pay any basic fee required for auditing under the current tuition rates, segregated fees and any special fees applicable to the course. 
3. Audited courses are included in the student’s credit load for the term when determining overloads. If auditing a class results in an overload (e.g., more than 18 semester credit hours for undergraduates) students need approval of the Associate Dean of the appropriate College.
4. Audited courses are not included in the student’s credit load for the term when determining full- or part-time status (See Classification of Students).
5. Initial registration to audit a course is not included in the total semester registration for the purposes of determining satisfactory academic progress (See Academic Standing and Progress).
6. Enrollment on an audit basis may not be changed to a credit basis, or vice versa, after the approved period for adding classes.
7. The auditor must consult the instructor of the course to determine the conditions for a successful audit. Some courses cannot profitably be audited without participation in class activities; the instructor must indicate how much and what kind of participation is required.
8. Upon successful completion of an audit, the mark of V will be entered on the student’s record. Failure to meet the instructor’s conditions will be recorded as UV; withdrawal from the course will be recorded as WV. These marks are not course grades and are not computed in GPAs.
9. Students are not eligible for financial aid for audited courses.

Auditors over age 60 and SSI/SSDI auditors. Residents of Wisconsin who are 60 years of age and older or who meet certain disability requirements may audit courses on a space-available basis at no charge for tuition. Other fees, however, will be assessed. Persons 60 years of age and older as of the first day of classes must show proof of birth date. Persons with disabilities must provide a copy of documents proving eligibility for benefits under the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program or the federal Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Registration

Registration for a grade of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory, instead of the usual letter grades, permits students to venture into elective areas with less risk to GPAs; however, the potential disadvantages should be carefully weighed. Some institutions, particularly graduate and professional schools, will not accept the grade of S in transfer. Furthermore, S/U registration is restricted on many programs at UW-Eau Claire, and the responsibility for determining its acceptability rests with the student.

Eligibility. The option of S/U registration is open only to students with sophomore standing or above and a resident GPA of 2.00 or higher. (Exception: any student may enroll in a physical activity course on the S/U basis.)

Procedures. S/U registration must be designated by the student no later than the approved period for dropping courses with no record.

S/U registration may not be changed to the standard grading system, or vice versa, after the approved period for dropping courses with no record. An S/U course may be dropped in accordance with University rules.

S/U Grades. The grade of S is equivalent to at least a C or above in the standard grading system; it denotes that the student’s work was satisfactory and that credit is granted for the course. The grade of S is not computed in the student’s semester and resident GPAs.

The grade of U indicates work below the level of a C in the standard grading system. No credit is granted. However, the grade of U is not computed in the student’s semester and resident GPAs. When repeating a course initially taken on the S/U basis, the student must also repeat the course on the S/U grade basis (See Repeating UW-Eau Claire Courses).

Reporting of Grades. Instructors will record standard letter grades for all students; the conversion to a grade of S or U will be made by the Registrar.

Restrictions: 

1. A student may carry no more than one course on the optional S/U basis for degree credit in any term of enrollment. (Exception: any student in any term of enrollment may enroll in one or more physical activity course(s) on an S/U basis and still take one other degree credit course on an S/U basis. Certain Education field work courses also require multiple S/U enrollments. The student, however, must be otherwise eligible to take the additional degree credit course on an S/U basis.)
2. No more than one course taken on the S/U basis may be counted toward a standard major or a minor. No more than two S/U courses may be counted toward a comprehensive major. Colleges and departments may place further restrictions on major, minor, or professional programs and sequences, and dean’s list criteria also vary by college.

Policy on Remedial Education

New freshmen whose Math Fundamentals (M-FUND) score on the UW System Mathematics placement examination is less than 466 are required to take a remedial mathematics course (MATH 10, MATH 20, or MATH 50). MATH 20 or MATH 50 must be successfully completed before a student has earned 30 credits or registration will be denied.

Repeating UW-Eau Claire Courses

The privilege of repeating course work allows students to attain a satisfactory level of achievement in courses in which they initially encountered difficulties. Because a course can be repeated only once, students will discuss with their academic advisers the reasons for their low grade or W in the course before attempting the course a second time. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain assistance to sharpen their skills or resolve the problems that led to poor performance or noncompletion the first time they took the course. If the low grade was earned in a course which is a prerequisite to another course, students are urged to repeat the prerequisite course before enrolling and risking poor performance in the other course.

The repeat privilege applies only to courses taken at UW-Eau Claire (whether taken originally at UW-Eau Claire or elsewhere) for which a grade of C- or below or a W was initially earned. Registration for a repeated course must be on the same basis (letter grade or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) as the original course.

A course in which a grade of C- or below or a W was originally earned may be repeated once. The new grade will replace the previous grade in computing GPAs, but both the initial grade and the repeated grade will appear on the student’s official transcript.

NOTE: In extenuating circumstances, the Associate Dean of a College in which the student is enrolled may give permission for the second repeat of a course. Such permission may be requested upon recommendation of the student’s academic adviser. The Associate Dean determines whether the grade earned in the second repeat will replace previous grades or will be averaged with previous grades earned in that course in computing GPAs. All three grades will appear on the student’s official transcript.

Attendance/Leave

Withdrawals

Withdrawing from a Course. Students who wish to drop a full term course during the first two weeks of classes may do so without their instructors’ or advisors’ signatures. After the second week of classes (or a proportionate period of time for shorter courses—see CampS for exact dates), students who wish to withdraw from a course must obtain a Change of Registration form from the Blugold Central, secure the signature of their faculty advisors and instructors for the course, and return the form to Blugold Central. A student is not considered withdrawn from a course until the proper form has been processed by Blugold Central. A student who stops attending a class without withdrawing officially may receive a grade of F for the course, and may owe a repayment on financial aid received.

No withdrawals are permitted after the beginning of the eleventh week of classes. Deadlines are adjusted proportionately for shorter courses, including Winterim and Summer Session courses, except in extenuating circumstances as determined by the Associate Dean of the College in which the student is enrolled. Up to that time, official withdrawals from full term courses are recorded as follows:

During the first two weeks of classes—no record of enrollment.

Third week through the tenth week—recorded as W.

Calendar dates of withdrawal deadlines are published each semester on CampS, on the Registration Calendars, and can be obtained from Blugold Central.

Note: During the 2022-2023 academic year the withdrawal deadline will extend through the thirteenth week of classes. This temporary pilot will then be evaluated and a permanent recommendation will become effective for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Withdrawing from the University. Undergraduate degree-seeking wishing to withdraw from the University after the start of the term are required to meet with an Advising, Retention & Career Center staff member prior to withdrawing from classes. The advisor will provide the student with the online withdrawal e-form to submit their request to withdraw. Non-degree seeking students, such as special students and post baccalaureate students, may withdraw through the tenth week of classes using the Graduate and Special/Non-degree Seeking Students online withdrawal eform.

If a student withdraws from the University during the first two weeks of classes, only the date of withdrawal will be recorded on their academic transcript and no record of specific course enrollment. If a student withdraws from the University from the third through tenth weeks, the grade of W will be recorded on the academic transcript for each course enrolled and remaining unfinished. The deadline to withdraw from the University is the end of the tenth week of the term.

Students may only withdraw from the University after the deadline in extenuating circumstances as determined by the Associate Dean of the College in which the student is enrolled. A student who stops attending classes without officially withdrawing (at any time in the term) may also receive failing grades.

An undergraduate student who withdraws and is not subsequently subject to suspension may return for the next regular academic semester without making formal application for readmission to the University.

Fee refund deadlines and corresponding amounts of refund can be found on the Business Office website. Financial aid recipients who withdraw before 60 percent of the semester has been completed are subject to federal financial aid repayment regulations and may owe a repayment of aid, even if not entitled to a tuition refund. The amount of aid a student may keep is in direct proportion to the length of time the student remained enrolled during the semester. Assistance is also available from Blugold Central.

Leave of Absence

After one full-term semester of non-enrollment, students remain active and eligible to enroll and will automatically receive an enrollment date to register. Students taking credits while not attending UW-Eau Claire, must send their official transcript upon reenrollment. Transfer work is critical and may affect academic progress, academic standing, financial aid eligibility, and graduation. Official transcripts should be sent electronically via secured transmission (not email) to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Admissions.

All students who have been away from the University for two consecutive full-term semesters or more must file a reentry application. As a reentry student, a $100 enrollment deposit is not required. Students seeking reentry are encouraged to make application as early as possible prior to the semester in which they wish to return. Reentry after the term starts is not guaranteed. Students returning after an absence of two or more consecutive full-term semesters must meet the degree requirements of the catalog in effect upon their return, or a subsequent catalog. 

Military Leave Policy

Currently enrolled students called to active service (involuntary Federal Title 10 activations or transfers) during the course of a semester must choose one of the following options before departing for active service:

1. Withdrawal from all courses with a full refund of tuition and no record of enrollment.
2. Selective withdrawal from one or more courses with a refund of tuition.
3. Incomplete grades awarded at the discretion of the instructor.
4. Final grades may be issued if the instructor determines that the student has completed a sufficient amount of coursework.

A military leave request needs to be submitted to the Dean of Students Office. Students are granted military leave for the entire time of their military commitment.

Class Attendance Policies

All students are expected to attend all class sessions of courses in which they are enrolled. Each faculty member should inform each class in writing at the beginning of the course regarding the use of student attendance in relation to student evaluation procedures.

If a student fails to attend the first class meeting of any course without previously notifying the instructor or the department chair, the student may be dropped from that course so that the vacancy may be filled by another student from a waiting list. It remains the student’s responsibility to determine their own enrollment status. Each department has a policy on first-day class attendance.

Accommodation procedures for this and other circumstances are described on the Dean of Students website.