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L&S Semester Credit Load Limits

The following sections provide information for L&S undergraduate students who wish to take more than 18 credits during the Fall or Spring semester.

Can I take more than 18 credits during the Fall or Spring semester?

An L&S undergraduate student is eligible to take more than 18 credits during the Fall or Spring semester with the approval of an academic dean by filling out the Credit Overload Request Form.  A student will automatically be approved to take 19 or 20 credits if s/he has a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or higher at UW-Madison.   More information about credit loads for the academic year and the summer sessions can be found at credit load.
  • No student may carry more than 20 credits during the Fall or Spring term.
  • Students should request an overload within the first two weeks of the semester.
  • Additional fees are assessed for the 19th and 20th credits. 
  • Students interested in taking a winter interim course at another institution should fill out a credit overload form if they also plan to be registered at UW-Madison for the spring term and think the combination of winter interim and spring term will take them over 18 credits.
  • Students can take a maximum of 12 credits during the summer session.  In rare cases students may be authorized to take 13 credits if they are in their last term and need to graduate if they have a CUM GPA of 3.000 or higher.   Students cannot be authorized to take more than 13 credits during the summer session.
  • During the summer sessions, students may earn only one credit per week in any given session.  For example, a student can earn 3 credits during a 3-week session but can get approved to earn a maximum of 4 credits in a 3-week session.
  • Students with a cumulative GPA less than 3.000 at UW-Madison will have their request reviewed by an academic dean in L&S Undergraduate Deans' Services.  The student will be contacted if his/her request is denied.
  • For information about tuition and fees, see the Office of the Registrar's Tuition & Fees section.
Contact L&S Student Academic Affairs/Academic Dean's Office with further questions: 
Phone: (608) 262-0617
Email: lsdeans@saa.ls.wisc.edu