DARS/Advisors - Run a What-If DARS with Core GenEd Requirements
Table of Contents
Core GenEd What-If DARS
This is a temporary, standalone audit that shows only the Core GenEd requirements and the English Language, Language, and Math University requirements. It is available for advisors to use during SOAR. Students will not have access to this “What-If” DARS.
Once School/College and major requirements for Summer/Fall 2026 are fully encoded and the Core GenEd and University Requirements are incorporated, advisors will be able to run audits and what-if scenarios as normal, without needing to use this standalone what-if audit.
Good to Know
Courses taken prior to Summer 2026 do not carry Core GenEd designations and will not satisfy Core GenEd categories. However, for first-year students beginning Summer 2026 or later, dual-enrollment transfer credit or credit earned from qualifying AP, IB, A-Level, or CLEP exam scores may be used to satisfy Core GenEd categories.
The Core GenEd What-If DARS will not show degree/major/certificate requirements.
Details Specific to Running the What-If Core GenEd DARS
For purposes of this What-If audit, the "School, College, Division" selected must be School of Business. This Core GenEd plan code has only been encoded for Business since it is for temporary use.
The [CGER] plan will not show in the dropdown - it must be typed in.
The Core GenEd Term must be 20263 (Summer 2026), 20271 (Fall 2026), or later. First year students starting Fall 2026 will have a default Core GenEd Term of 20271.
Run a What-If Core GenEd DARS
Log into the DARS Request App.
See DARS/Faculty&Staff - A New DARS Request App - Request A DARS Audit for additional guidance.
On the “Individual Report” tab, enter a student's Campus ID or EMPLID in the dialog box and click "Search".
The Core GenEd What-If DARS can also be run via Batch Reports in order to run multiple students' courses with the Core GenEd Requirements. See DARS/Faculty&Staff - A New DARS Request App - Request A Batch of DARS Audits for details on running batch audits.
Select “Choose a different plan”.
Select the School of Business from the “School, College, Division” dropdown.
Manually type in “CGER” for the “Academic Plan/SubPlan”.
The fields for “Catalog Year and Term” and “Alternate Catalog Year and Term” do not need to be filled in for the purpose of this What-If audit.
The “Core GenEd Term” field will default as blank. Manually enter 20263 in the field.
Click “Run audit”.
Navigate to the “View Requested Reports” tab and select “View” for the interactive audit report.
Read a What-If Core GenEd DARS
The top of the student's DARS will show the CGER Program Code and 20263 (or later) Core GenEd Term.
The Core GenEd What-If DARS will show the Core General Education requirement and the English Language, Language, and Math University requirements. The English Language and Math requirements will only show if applicable to the student.
Core General Education Requirements
The DARS shows that 30 credits and 7 sub-groups are required. The sub-groups represent the seven Core GenEd categories.
If a student has taken a math placement test and has a qualifying placement test score, it will show under the Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning sub-requirement. The Math Placement Exam Matrix is linked in the audit (https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingmathplacement) for additional details.
The placement test partially satisfies the requirement, and the 3 remaining credits can be taken from any Core GenEd category. A note will show on the audit at the bottom of the Core GenEd Requirement that explains that an additional 3 credits are needed.
Similar to a qualifying math placement test score, a qualifying English placement test score will show under the Communication & Literacy category with a link to Guide (https://go.wisc.edu/qualifyingenglishplacement) for more details.
A student who has both a qualifying Math placement test and a qualifying English placement test will see two notes at the bottom of the requirement about satisfying the minimum 30 total credits.
A student may have 30 credits of Core GenEd coursework without satisfying each Core GenEd category.
The example below shows a student who has 33 credits but has only satisfied 6 of the Core GenEd categories. The student has over-satisfied category 3 by taking 8 credits and they still need to complete category 2.
Note: This example DARS was run using a student's planned courses. The total credits show that the student has 33 credits of planned coursework but still needs 3 credits of Communication & Literacy.
University Requirements
University Requirement – English Language
- Does not show on DARS for every student. Will only show on DARS if a student is required to take the MSN-ESLAT exam.
- Will show on DARS in red (text and X symbol) if unsatisfied and will remain on DARS in green (text and check symbol) when satisfied.
University Requirement – Language
- Will appear on DARS for every student until satisfied (many students will have this satisfied upon entry).
- Will show on DARS in red (text and X symbol) if unsatisfied and will remain on DARS in green (text and check symbol) when satisfied.
University Requirement – Math
- Does not show on DARS for every student. Will only show on DARS if a student is required to take MATH 96.
- Will show on DARS in red (text and X symbol) if unsatisfied and will remain on DARS in green (text and check symbol) when satisfied.
Examples of University Requirements:
This student's DARS only shows the Language University Requirement. They did not have to take the MSN-ESLAT exam or MATH 96 so the English Language and Math University Requirements are not shown. The Language University Requirement shows on DARS for every student and is currently unsatisfied (red text and X symbol) for this student. It will show in green (text and check symbol) when satisfied.
This student's DARS shows the Language and Math University Requirements. They were required to take MATH 96 and have satisfied the requirement, so it shows in green (text and check symbol) on DARS. The Language University Requirement shows on DARS for every student and is satisfied (green text and check symbol).
This student's DARS shows all three of the University Requirements. They were required to take the MSN-ESLAT exam and are planning to satisfy the English Language University Requirement with ESL 118. The Language University Requirement shows on DARS for every student and is currently unsatisfied (red text and X symbol) for this student. It will show in green (text and check symbol) when satisfied. They were required to take MATH 96 and have not satisfied the Math University Requirement (red text and X symbol). It will show in green (text and check symbol) when satisfied.
