Tuition Surcharge for Undergraduate Excess Credits
Policy Number
UW-1080
Responsible Office
Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research
Type
University Policy
Rationale/Purpose
The excess credit policy communicates to students the need to graduate in a timely manner. Credits that far exceed the minimum required for a bachelor’s degree do not add value to the degree. Students who remain enrolled beyond the time needed to graduate take the place of other students seeking enrollment in courses for their graduation. The excess credit policy allows students to remain enrolled but sets a limit on the tuition subsidy provided to Wisconsin residents.
Policy
Degree-seeking undergraduate students who are assessed Wisconsin resident tuition and who have earned more than 165 credits will be assessed a 100 percent tuition surcharge on any attempted credits over 165, including transfer credits from other UW institutions and from Wisconsin Technical College System institutions.
The following credits are not counted toward the 165-credit surcharge:
- transfer credits from private institutions or from institutions outside Wisconsin,
- third-party credit by exam (e.g., AP, IB, etc.) credits,
- credits earned through departmental credit by exam,
- retroactive credits,
- remedial credits,
- credits for the current semester because those credits are not yet completed credits.
Courses graded AU, F, I, N, NR, PI, or U are not counted toward the 165 credit maximum.
Students seeking a second bachelor’s degree who have already been awarded a bachelor’s degree from a UW institution or Wisconsin Technical College are exempt from the tuition surcharge.
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources
Approval Authority
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Policy Manager
Vice Provost for Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research
Contact
Associate Director, Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research -- Michelle Young, MEYOUNG@WISC.EDU, (608) 262-2143
Effective Date
04-15-2021
Source:
View policy UW-1080 in the UW-Madison Policy Library
Since 2002, the UW Board of Regents has had an Excess Credit Policy for undergraduate students who have earned more than 165 credits from a UW institution. The Board of Regents rescinded this policy in April 2021 with the provision that UW–Madison could establish a similar policy.
While not widely applied, an excess credit policy communicates to students the need to graduate in a timely manner. Earning credits that go well beyond the minimum credits required for a bachelor’s degree does not add value to the degree. Students who remain enrolled beyond the time needed to graduate are taking the place of another student who could be working on their degree. The excess credit policy allows students to continue to be enrolled beyond the point of excess credit accumulation but sets a limit on how long they can benefit from the tuition subsidy provided to Wisconsin residents.
