In this Doc

• Reminders about Graduate Transfer Credit
  • Transfer credit on transcript
  • Use of comments for clarity
  • Transfer credit used for different graduate programs at UW-Madison
  • Check that approved transfer credit meets program-specific policy

Reminders about Graduate Transfer Credit

Staff entering prior coursework for transfer credit to a student's record should be aware of the following reminders.

Transfer credit on transcript

Prior to the launch of the transfer credit tool in the Graduate Student Portal, transfer credit was maintained by the program. Since summer 2023, transfer credit for prior coursework is entered in a student's Graduate Portal so that it appears on the official transcript. If transfer credit was added before summer 2023 in the Graduate Portal, users will need to delete and reenter the credit for it to appear on a student's transcript. A student's transfer credit on their transcript looks like:

Use of comments for clarity

If a program approves an exception to their program-specific transfer credit policy, a comment stating this exception should be entered in the student's Graduate Portal. This helps the Graduate School in their audit process where staff verify transfer credit entries are aligned with program-specific policy. To enter a comment, scroll to the Comments section in the student's Graduate Portal and select Add Comment:

Transfer credit used for different graduate programs at UW-Madison

When transfer credit is added to a student's record, it is attached to their graduate student career. This means that if a student received transfer credit in one graduate program on campus, it will appear on their transcript even if they enroll in a second graduate program on campus. In other words, you do not need to reenter transfer credit if it was used towards the first graduate program on campus. For example, a student completes the MPA-Public Affairs and enrolls in the PhD-Mass Communications. The transfer credit used in the MPA-Public Affairs does not need to be reentered for it to satisfy credit requirements in the PhD-Mass Communications. Entering the transfer credit again will double count the transfer credit on a student's record.

Check that approved transfer credit meets program-specific policy

Approved transfer credit should meet the program-specific policy outlined in your program's Guide page. Guide is a legal binding agreement with students that displays the requirements for completing awards.