L&S Dean's List Qualifications

The College of Letters & Science (L&S) Dean’s List is established at the end of each fall and spring term after all grades have been reported and processed for all UW-Madison students. (There is no Dean’s List for the summer session.)   

To be eligible for the L&S Dean’s List in fall or spring term, students must  

• Complete a minimum of twelve (12) graded credits (i.e., A, AB, B, BC, C, D, F) in that term  

• Must not have any unresolved grades (i.e., I, NR, P, Q), and 

• Must meet the minimum Term GPA requirements noted for their class standing at the beginning of the term: 

• • 3.600 for students who are classified as freshmen (0-23 degree credits) and sophomores (24-53 degree credits ), or 

• • 3.850 for students who are classified as juniors (54-85 degree credits) and seniors (at least 86 degree credits). 

Please note: The College of Letters & Science does not “round up” for the purpose of tabulating the GPA for the Dean’s List. For example, a freshman or sophomore with a fall or spring term GPA of 3.599 is not eligible for the Dean’s List. 

Students who meet these requirements will be recognized as follows:  

• A notation (“Dean’s List”) appears on their grade report and transcript approximately four (4) weeks after the end of the final-exam grading period for the fall and spring terms.  

• The student’s name appears on the Registrar’s Office website. Students who have requested to have their name and other personal information withheld due to FERPA reasons will not appear on the website, but will still have the notation on their transcript. 

• The Dean of the College will send a congratulatory email approximately three (3) weeks after the end of the final-exam grading period for fall and spring terms. 

Recognition on the Dean’s List may be delayed if all grades are not resolved by the end of the term.  

• Students who have P grades for their senior thesis (regardless of whether they have 12 other graded credits), as well as students with unresolved grades of NR, I, and Q are not eligible for the Dean’s List until the unresolved grades have been replaced with a permanent grade.  Students are eligible to be placed on the Dean’s List once any unresolved grade issues have been addressed. 

• Grades earned through UW-Madison Study Abroad programs will count towards Dean’s List eligibility. The Registrar’s Office will add update transcripts for eligible students after their Study Abroad grades have been posted. More information is available here: https://studyabroad.wisc.edu/handbook/study-abroad-policies/ .