The Course Equivalency Service provides transfer credit information to currently enrolled UW–Madison students who plan to complete summer or winter term course work through another institution.
It is your responsibility to be aware of policies in your School/College, such as how many credits can be earned in a term. See the important notes at the bottom right side of this page.
Step 1: Use Transferology
Current UW–Madison students should first check Transferology to see if a matching course equivalent exists.
- If you know what course you want to take away from UW–Madison, you can use the “Will My Courses Transfer?” feature to see if a matching course equivalent exists.
- If you know what UW–Madison course you want to earn transfer credit for, you can use the “Find a Replacement Course” feature to see if a a matching course equivalent exists.
- If you find a matching course equivalent in Transferology between the following dates, the course equivalent will be awarded for the summer or winter term:
- Summer term: March 1 – end of summer term
- Winter term: November 1 – end of winter term
- If no matching course equivalent exists in Transferology, continue to step 2.
* If you are encountering technical or accessibility issues with Transferology (e.g. Error 403), please contact Transferology Support at tfosupport@collegesource.com and briefly identify the problem specifics, i.e. error code or error message.
Step 2: Complete the Course Equivalency Request form (if no matching course equivalent exists in Transferology)
If you do not find a matching course equivalent for the course you plan to take, you can complete the Course Equivalency Request form and submit a course syllabus for evaluation. You are eligible to submit up to five requests for the summer term and two requests for the winter term.
Course Equivalency Requests can only be submitted during these time periods:
- Summer term: March 1 – May 15
- Winter term: November 1 – December 1
Course Equivalency Service Resources
Additional Credit Resources
How to submit a Course Equivalency Request
You will need to access the form using your UW–Madison Google Account, which requires logging into Google with your NetID@wisc.edu. If you are outside the U.S. and are unable to access Google, please contact crediteval@registrar.wisc.edu.
In order to complete the form, you will be required to submit a detailed syllabus. An acceptable syllabus must meet the syllabus requirements below or else the request may be delayed or denied.
Syllabus Requirements:
- Must be from the term the course will be taken, or be from the most recent academic year.
- Must be College/University level – not from a high school.
- Should include learning outcomes, list of weekly topics, required textbooks, and an assignment calendars.
- Syllabi from international institutions must be in the original language and must be accompanied by an English translation that is literal, complete, word-for-word, and in the same format as the original.
- Examples of acceptable and unacceptable syllabi:
Important Note about China:
Courses from summer programs in China will not be eligible for transfer credit. Summer programs in China require certification from the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC) in order to be eligible for course transfer. Currently, CHESICC is not providing certification for summer programs in China. Therefore, courses from these summer programs will not be eligible for transfer credit.
Students who plan to attend an official study abroad program which is not affiliated with UW–Madison should request Transfer Credit Services throughInternational Academic Programs.
We will work with faculty and academic departments to complete your Course Equivalency Service request within 4-6 weeks. You will receive an email with the result your course equivalency request – equivalency decisions are final.
Incomplete syllabi may not provide enough information to evaluate and may delay or prevent our ability to guarantee an equivalent. If you take the course without a transfer guarantee we will evaluate the course when a transcript is sent. After receiving your credit evaluation, you may submit a syllabus via a Course Reevaluation Request.
Important Notes
There are limits to the total number of credits a student can earn during a term.
Students can earn a maximum 12 credits during a summer term and 4 credits during a winter term. These credit limits apply to credits earned at UW–Madison and any combination of colleges/universities attended during the term. In rare cases, students may be approved for a credit overload. Any credit overload requires approval from your academic dean’s office.
After using Transferology or the Course Equivalency Request form to establish whether a course is transferable, you may need to consult with your academic advisor to determine whether the transferable coursework will satisfy particular degree or major requirements.