Reentry Application Overview with Screenshots
The reentry application is available for students who left the university before finishing their graduate degree and wish to return to the same program within ten years of their last enrolled semester. Like the application for new students, a reentry applicant must go through the same process of being recommended for admission by the program, then officially admitted and matriculated by the Graduate School, and finally term activated by the Office of the Registrar.
The reentry application is available for all open terms and for all programs. The cost for a reentry application is the same as a new student application: $75 (plus a $6 fee for international applicants).
For additional information about the reentry application, please review the sections below.
Eligibility
Reentry applicants must have been enrolled in classes in their program within 10 years of the requested entry term. Reentry applicants can only rejoin the same program plan and sub-plan they were previously enrolled in and must be granted access to the reentry application by the program (see below).
How to apply and be granted program approval
To begin a reentry application to the Graduate School, reentry applicants need to follow the steps below:
- Find the online application at https://gradapply.wisc.edu/apply/
- Log in to the application
- First-time users will need to create an account
- Select Start New Application link and open the application
- In the Application Type section of the application, reentry applicants will need to answer the following two questions (see screenshot below):
- Are you currently enrolled in a UW-Madison Graduate Program? (Answer: I am not currently enrolled in a UW-Madison graduate program)
- Is this a reentry application to a previously enrolled graduate program? (Answer: Yes)
- In the Reentry Form section of the application, reentry students are given directions to contact the program to be approved to submit an application (see screenshot below) and provide the following information (see screenshot below):
- Select the program to which to you previously enrolled (select previously enrolled program from drop down)
- Which term will you restart this program? (select available term from drop down)
- UW-Madison Campus ID
- The applicant can fill out the rest of the application at this time, but the applicant will not be allowed to submit and pay for a reentry application until approved by the Graduate Coordinator. See steps below.
To allow an applicant to submit the reentry application to the Graduate School, Graduate Coordinators need to follow the steps below:
- Search for the applicant's file in Slate and navigate to the reentry application tab they have started.
- Select the Reentry Approval link on the application tab (shown in the screenshot below)
- Fill out the Reentry Approval form and Submit (see screenshot below). If you wish to approve make sure to select the I approve that the applicant above is allowed to submit a reentry application checkbox. You also have the option to waive the resume and CV requirement and/or the statement of purpose requirement by selecting those checkboxes.
To submit a reentry application to the Graduate School, reentry applicants need to follow the steps below:
- Once approved by the Graduate Coordinator to submit a reentry application (see above), the applicant will need to fill out the rest of the application, submit the application, and pay the application fee.
- The application will then be submitted and available for review by the program similar to other applications.
Finally, to recommend a reentry application for readmission to the Graduate School, Graduate Coordinators need to follow the steps below:
- When the applicant submits the reentry application, the application will likely first move into the Awaiting Recommendations bin -- unless the applicant's recommendations have already been received, in which case the application will move directly into the (G08) Reentry Request bin.
- Once the letters of recommendation arrive, the reentry application will automatically be moved into the (G08) Reentry Request bin. The program can also choose to move the application from Awaiting Recommendations bin into the (G08) Reentry Request bin if waiving the letter of recommendation requirement.
- Finally, if choosing to readmit, the program should send the application to the Reentry Approved bin in the Decision column. This action will deliver the reentry application to the Graduate School admissions team for processing.
Parts of the Reentry Application
Welcome
A brief welcome to the application followed by some helpful information about the following topics:
- Graduate Guide
- Application Fee
- Applying to Multiple Programs
- Questions or Issues?
This is the page an applicant will land on whenever they open the application from their portal.
Application Type
The questions on this page determine whether the application will be a reentry application or a regular, new student application. The screenshot above shows the answers necessary for a reentry application.
Personal Information
Citizenship
Reentry Form
This reentry form includes the instructions: "You cannot submit your reetnry application unless you contact the program and they pre-approve you to submit your application." Please see the directions in this KB document above for how to pre-approve a reentry submission.
Supplemental Application
If your program has a supplemental application, it will be listed here. Use this KB to Check Your Program's Supplemental Application in Slate.
Educational Background
Test Scores
This section is where students can self-report test scores for TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, and/or GRE tests.
Statements & CV/Resume
Test Score Registration Numbers
This section allows the applicant to provide additional identifying information for self-reported test scores. While not required, it is useful for the applicant to fill this section out in cases where an official test score does not automatically match to an applicant's file.
Recommendations
The screenshot above shows the Recommendation page when one recommender has been added.
The screenshot above of the Recommendation Widget shows what information applicants need to provide in order to send a recommendation request to a reference.
Funding and Program Participation
The screenshots above show the Funding and Program Participation section of the application. Specific answers to some of these questions will prompt a message that the applicant may be eligible for a Fee Grant to cover the cost of the application fee.
Residency
The Residency Application is administered by the Office of the Registrar. This page of the application sends the applicant to the Residency Application to fill it out.
Academic or Behavioral Misconduct
Signature
Applicants have to agree to all of the terms in order to sign and confirm their application.
Review
The above screenshot is what a reentry application will see if they have yet received approval from the program to submit a reentry application. The applicant will be unable to submit their application until pre-approval is granted. See the section above which outlines how to pre-approve a reentry application.
The above screenshot shows what the Review page will look like once the application is ready to submit. A button will appear stating "Finalize Application and Pay."
Upon selecting the "Finalize Application and Pay" button, applicants are presented the following acknowledgment in a pop up: "I acknowledge I will be unable to make changes to my application after I submit it online. I have ensured that my application is accurate, complete, and ready for submission."
Payment
The above screenshot is what the application will show once the applicant is prompted to submit payment.
The above screenshot shows the TransAct payment wizard that helps applicants complete payment step-by-step.
Note: the reentry application requires letters of recommendation. If programs would like to waive the letter of recommendation requirement for reentry applicants, the program should tell the applicant to put in dummy emails so they can submit the application.
Deadlines for Reentry
The reentry application is available for any open term. It is not dependent on whether the program has an open application for new students for that term.
Applicants will need to follow the same deadlines as outlined in the Admissions Deadlines KB document. To ensure they are matriculated and prepared for the term, applicants should fill out a reentry application at least 4 weeks before the fall semester, at least 3 weeks before spring semester starts, and at least 2 weeks before summer starts (term DHH). If a student wishes to rejoin a program after the application system has closed for that term, please contact our office at admissionstaff@grad.wisc.edu to discuss options.
For international students, specific timelines vary greatly depending on the student’s current visa status and country of citizenship among other factors. Broadly, applicants will need to follow the same deadlines as outlined in the Admissions Deadlines KB document. We advise that the student also review the ISS resource Becoming a Global Badger, which provides additional timeline information for the processing of immigration documentation.
FAQ
Our program’s supplemental application is not relevant for reentry applicants. Can my program change the information collected in the supplemental application for reentry students?
No. The student will have to complete the supplemental application. You are free to communicate with the student to determine how to approach this section of the application.
Can a reentry student rejoin our program for an upcoming term, even if our program does not admit new students to that term?
Yes. The reentry application is available for any open term, regardless if the program admits new students for that term or not.
If the student left the university and at a later term wishes to join a different program, do they use the reentry application?
No. If the student left the Graduate School and wishes to join a different program in the Graduate School, the student will have to fill out a new application for the new program. Reentry applications are only used for students who wish to return to the same program.
If the student was admitted to the program but never enrolled, can they use the reentry application?
No. If the student never enrolled in the program (e.g., never took courses), the student will not have the option to use the reentry application. The student will need to fill out a new application.
Oops! Our reentry student accidentally completed a new application instead of a reentry application. Do they have to reapply using the reentry application?
No — but please reach out to our office if you know that this has occurred, as this student’s application may not be addressed in a timely fashion otherwise. We also want to make sure to apply the correct admissions code (G12) when we admit.