UW-Madison Winterim Course Credit

The following is information about taking courses during the winterim (December/January break) for L&S undergraduate students and earning degree credit at UW-Madison.

L&S Undergraduate students may enroll for a course over the UW-Madison "winterim" (special spring term session) and earn academic credit at UW-Madison.  There are three possible scenarios for students who are thinking about taking a course during the winterim period.

1.  A student wants to enroll for courses over the UW-Madison "winterim" (special spring term sessions).

  • No concurrent enrollment
  • Credit overload is required if total winterim and spring term credit load exceeds 18 credits
  • If winterim session does not overlap with the UW-Madison spring term, it is possible for a student to take up to 24 credits (winterim maximum with credit overload of 4 credits plus 20 credit maximum with credit overload for spring term).
    • If the UW-Madison winterim session overlaps, then it is part of the spring term and the maximum credit load for both terms is 20 credits.
  • A student must have a minimum CUM GPA of 3.000 for both terms in order to qualify for each term overload.

2.  A student wants to enroll for courses at another institution over the winterim term which does not overlap with UW-Madison's spring term.

  • No concurrent enrollment
  • A student may request an overload for winterim to allow for the credits to transfer back to UW-Madison.  A student may also request an overload for the UW-Madison spring term.
  • The maximum total credit limit of 24 credits for both terms (4 credits for the winterim plus a 20-credit overload for the spring term.
  • Students must have a minimum CUM GPA of 3.000 for each term.

3.  A student wants to enroll for courses at another institution over their winterim term which does overlap with UW-Madison's spring term.

  • Concurrent enrollment permission is needed.
  • Overlap means that the winterim term is considered part of the spring term.  A student may request a credit overload, but limited to a total for both terms of 20 credits.
  • A student must have a minimum CUM GPA of 3.000.
More detailed information can be found at Winterim Questions and Concerns.
Contact L&S Student Academic Affairs with L&S specific questions:
Phone: (608) 262-0617
Email: lsdeans@saa.ls.wisc.edu