The Graduate Student Tracking System (GSTS) is an academic advising tool that provides information about the curricular requirements to earn a graduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and allows for monitoring of graduate student's progress towards degree completion.

How does a graduate program coordinator access the Graduate Student Tracking System (GSTS)?

Coordinators must complete the GSTS Reports and Exceptions Tool Canvas training and security request form to access the system. Instructions on how to complete the required security request form are detailed in the Canvas course. The online training course is asynchronous, meaning it can be completed at your own pace. The training can be accessed even after it is completed so you can refer to it in the future. Refer to the Getting Access to the Graduate Student Tracking System KB for more information.

Are programs required to satisfy all requirements on a student's advisement report to submit a warrant?

No, programs are not required to use the Graduate Student Tracking System (GSTS). A student's advisement report does not need to be completed to submit a warrant. The system is intended to support current advising practices. It is not intended to be intrusive nor to replace the key role played by academic and research advisors in the student life cycle and each graduate program has the option to choose how they want to integrate the system into their operations. 

How can a program make changes or updates to the requirements displayed in the system?

Reports are configured according to a program's Guide page. Changes or updates must be made in accordance to the Guide/Lumen cycle. This means that programs may propose changes to their report during the following fall term. Contact your School/College academic planner for more information on the Guide/Lumen process. Read more about the process to edit your program's Guide page for the fall.

Can a program submit exceptions for multiple students at one time?

At this time, programs cannot submit exceptions for multiple students at one time. This means that programs must manually submit exceptions for each of their students.

Why is there a duplicate exception on my student's "Authorize Student Exceptions" screen?

Duplicate exceptions may appear on your student's "Authorize Student Exceptions" page due to a system glitch. The exception will have the same advisement override number. You do not need to delete the duplicate exception. The student's advisement report will only have one exception attached to it.

Is the Program Milestones Canvas training required to access the Graduate Student Tracking System (GSTS)?

The Program Milestones Canvas training is not required to access the system. This is an optional training that coordinators / managers can complete to use program milestones. Milestones are generally used for the tracking of non-coursework related requirements for degree completion. 

Does transfer credit automatically fulfill program requirements in a student's advisement report?

Prior coursework is entered into a student's MyGradPortal and then exported to the Student Information System (SIS). The information in SIS appears as generic transfer credit, meaning that a course equivalency is not completed. Coordinators must manually complete a course list substitution exception to fulfill a specific program requirement. Refer to the Exceptions: Using Graduate Transfer Credit for Prior Coursework.

Are synchronous sessions available to train new users?

The GSTS Reports and Exceptions Tool Canvas training has replaced live sessions. The self-paced training allows participants flexibility. There are several KnowledgeBase (KB) articles that outline step-by-step instructions for processes in GSTS. Users are encouraged to review the appropriate KB and contact the GSTS Coordinator ("owner" of KB article) with additional questions.