University of Wisconsin–Madison

Permissions

When navigating through the enrollment process at UW–Madison — enrolling in a class, making changes to your class schedule (like dropping a course), or withdrawing from school for a semester — you may first need to get permission from a campus official.

This page outlines when you may need to get permission and who to contact.

On This Page

Department Permission

When do you need department permission?

Departments/programs manage the enrollment in their courses. You may need to receive department permission:

  • To enroll in a class closed to non-majors;
  • To enroll in a class when your previous courses don’t exactly meet the requisites;
  • To add a class after the deadline to do so has passed; and
  • In many other situations.

Find Department Contact Information in Course Search & Enroll

Departments display their contact information for permission requests in the “Subject Notes” area of the main course panel.

When you’ve received instructions that you need to get department permission to enroll in a class or to make changes to your existing classes, this list can help you find the right contact person. UW departments and programs manage the courses offered in the different curricular subject areas.

Bonus feature: Select the link in the “Course Search & Enroll” column to open a new browser window; then select the search magnifying glass symbol to display that subject area’s classes (requires a NetID). Other valuable contact information for this subject area may be displayed in the “Subject Notes” and “Class Notes” fields for the class.

[Departments and programs can send updates and corrections to Paul Oshefsky, Office of the Registrar. An official list of all subject areas is here. If the table below doesn’t load, click/tap here.]

Instructor Consent

Some courses will include “consent of instructor” (or similar) as a requisite, or requirement that needs to be met before you can enroll in the class. If so, contact the instructor listed for the class to request permission to enroll.

The best place to find requisites in Course Search & Enroll is the “Section Information” field in the section details panel, as that will include requirements set for the entire course and also any that are specific to a section. The “Prerequisites” field shows the requirements for the entire course.

Finding Instructor Contact Information

Select the name of the instructor in the section detail panel.

In the pop-up window, the instructor’s email address will appear.

Tip: When you contact an instructor by email, send the email from your wisc.edu account and include your campus ID number. You may be asked for more information about your qualifications and interest in the class.

If the instructor approves you for the class, consider contacting the department to ensure your permission is in the system.

You still need to enroll in the class! Go to Course Search & Enroll to enroll. Get in touch with the person (instructor or someone in the department) who gave you permission if you still have problems enrolling in the class.

Academic Dean Approval

Students work with the academic dean’s office in their school/college in certain circumstances related to enrollment actions.

Approval from academic deans isn’t typically required when initially enrolling in a class. However, students who want to add or drop a class late in the semester, or withdraw from UW–Madison for a term, will consult with their academic dean’s office, who will ensure that the student gets the advice, planning, and support they need.

Academic Dean’s Contact Information

School/College/DepartmentPoint of ContactEmailPhone NumberAddress
College of Agricultural and Life SciencesCALS Academic Affairsacademicaffairs@cals.wisc.edu608-262-3003116 Agricultural Hall
AudiologyAudiology Program Coordinatoraihartman@wisc.edu608-262-6481374 Goodnight Hall
Wisconsin School of BusinessUndergraduate Academic Servicessuccessandpolicy@wsb.wisc.edu608-262-04713150 Grainger Hall
Division of Continuing StudiesAdult Career & Special Student Servicesadvising@dcs.wisc.edu608-263-696021 N. Park St., Room 7101
School of EducationStudent Servicesacademicdeansupport@education.wisc.edu608-262-1651139 Education Building
College of EngineeringEngineering Academic Deans Officeengracademicdean@engr.wisc.edu608-262-34842640 Engineering Hall
Graduate SchoolGraduate School Academic Servicesgsacserv@grad.wisc.edu608-262-2433217 Bascom Hall
School of Human EcologySchool of Human Ecology Student Academic Affairsdeansservices@sohe.wisc.edu608-262-26081194 Nancy Nicholas Hall
Law SchoolLaw School Student Services Officeangela.nash@wisc.edu608-263-63405106 Law
College of Letters & ScienceUndergraduate Academic Deans’ Serviceslsdeans@saa.ls.wisc.edu608-262-0617101 Mark H. Ingraham Hall
School of Medicine and Public Health Contact your program office  
School of NursingOffice of Academic Affairsacademic.affairs@nursing.wisc.edu608-263-52021100 Signe Skott Cooper Hall
School of PharmacyPharmacy Student and Academic Affairspharminfo@pharmacy.wisc.edu608-262-62342220 Rennebohm Hall of Pharmacy
School of Veterinary MedicineOffice of Academic Affairsoaa@vetmed.wisc.edu608-263-25252268 Veterinary Medicine Building

Late Initial Enrollment

Undergraduate and College Special Students

School/CollegeAdvisor’s Approval Needed?Academic Dean’s Office
Ag & Life SciencesNo116 Agricultural Hall
BusinessSee Below13150 Grainger Hall
EducationNo139 Education Building
EngineeringYes2620 Engineering
Engr First YearYes1150 Engineering
Human EcologyNo1194 Nancy Nichols Hall
Letters & ScienceSee Below2101 Ingraham Hall
NursingYes1131 Cooper Hall, Signe Skott
PharmacyYes1203 Rennebohm Hall

Other Student Types

Type of StudentAdvisor’s Approval Needed?Academic Dean’s Office
Graduate StudentsYes217 Bascom Hall
Law StudentsNo5106 Law
Medical StudentsNo2150 HSLC
Pharm D StudentsYes1203 Rennebohm Hall
Physical Therapy Master’sYes1140 Med Sci Center (MSC)
Master of Public HealthYes1140 Med Sci Center (MSC)
Veterinary MedicineNoRm 2268, 2015 Linden Dr.
University Specials (Division of Continuing Studies)No21 N. Park St., 7th Floor
Guest Students (Division of Continuing Studies)See Below321 N. Park St., 7th Floor

*Late Enrollment Activities for these students may require advisor’s approval:

  1. Business Students Late Enrollment: No advisor’s authorization. Academic dean’s approval required; visit 3150 Grainger Hall
    Business Students Late Add: Instructor’s, department’s office & dean’s office authorization required
    Business Students Late Drop: Dean’s approval required; visit 3150 Grainger Hall ↩︎
  2. Letters & Science Late Enrollment: Department’s approval & dean’s approval both required; visit 101 Ingraham Hall
    Letters & Science Late Add: Instructor’s, department’s office & dean’s office authorization required
    Letters & Science Late Drop: Dean’s approval required; visit 101 Ingraham Hall ↩︎
  3. Guest students must obtain the authorization of the instructor for each course in which they enroll ↩︎
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