Verifications
Once you complete your degree and it has been posted to your student record/transcript, you can get an official PDF degree verification letter through Academic Records in your Student Center.
If you need the PDF printed to obtain a hard copy, need additional text in the letter, or something else, contact us.
Degree Completion Letters for Graduate Students
If you have completed all degree requirements and deposited your thesis or dissertation and are waiting until the next degree conferral date to receive your degree, you may request and receive a letter indicating that all requirements have been completed. Please fill out and submit the Degree Completion Form. It will first go to the Graduate School for verification. Once all information is verified, the Office of the Registrar will provide your PDF letter.
Enrollment Verification
You can obtain an official PDF letter certifying enrollment status (full-time, half-time, etc.) through Academic Records in your Student Center. The PDF version is an official letter.
Contact us if you need the PDF printed to obtain a hard copy, need additional text about academic standing or expected graduation date, etc., or something else.
Enrollment Verification for Voting Purposes
If you need an enrollment verification letter for voting purposes (i.e. proof of residence), make sure to select voter enrollment verification Academic Records in the Student Center.
- This will produce a letter that meets requirements for voting in Wisconsin. The other enrollment verification letter (described above) is not valid for voting purposes.
- For additional voting information, visit vote.wisc.edu.
Employers Needing to Verify Student Enrollment
Employers (potential or current) can verify a student’s enrollment status by using the Verification Services of the National Student Clearinghouse. There is a small charge for this service.
College Reports and Dean’s Certifications
Many students seeking to transfer to another institution from UW–Madison will complete a College Report form from Common App that provides information about their academic career at UW–Madison. As of Fall 2023, the Office of the Registrar has aligned with a common Association of American Universities (AAU) practice to no longer provide college reports or dean’s certifications, as all of the relevant information can be found on a student’s official transcript.
In lieu of college reports or dean’s certifications, the Office of the Registrar encourages you to send an official transcript to your school(s). If you request it, we will send your school(s) a letter outlining this practice that encourages the school(s) to instead rely on your official transcript. Please contact our office and provide the email address(es) of the school(s) to which you would like us to send the letter.
For more information about how to order an official transcript, visit the Transcripts page.
FAQs
Degree Verification
A degree verification letter is available once a degree is posted. The amount of time is variable due to final grading deadlines and reviews for completion by school/college degree clearance staff, but most degrees will be posted within a couple of weeks following the conferral date.
Step-by-Step: Degree Verification
Yes, a degree verification letter is an official document on a letterhead with the University Registrar’s signature and seal.
No. A degree verification will only be available once a degree is posted. If you have completed all degree requirements and deposited your thesis or dissertation and are waiting until the next degree conferral date to receive your degree, you may request a degree completion letter instead.
Timing
The employer, loan provider, or other third party might have attempted to verify enrollment before you signed up for classes and/or before the information was reported to the National Student Clearinghouse*. Please note that enrollment information is sent to the National Student Clearinghouse following the first day of classes.
If you are in need of enrollment verification for student loan purposes after you have enrolled but before enrollment has been reported to the National Student Clearinghouse, you can ask your lender for a loan deferment form. The Office of the Registrar can verify enrollment for the upcoming semester on this form.
* The National Student Clearinghouse is a nationwide verification service.
Privacy Restrictions
Under FERPA, UW–Madison won’t verify education records if you have selected to block the release of information related to your name, major field of study, dates of attendance and degree information. If such restrictions are in place, degree information will only be verified if the requestor provides us with a release you have signed.
Step-by-Step: Editing Your Privacy (FERPA) Settings
Enrollment Verification
Yes, an enrollment verification letter is an official document on a letterhead with the University Registrar’s signature and seal.
You may select to include currently enrolled terms (current term and any future terms you have enrolled for) or all enrolled terms (past, current, and future).
Step-by-Step: Print Enrollment Verification
Undergraduate and University Special Students: You can add your academic standing to an enrollment letter by selecting the “Include Academic Standing” checkbox when generating an enrollment letter.
Note: Academic standing will not display for currently enrolled terms since it is only calculated at the end of a given term.
Contact us at registrar@em.wisc.edu with your request.
Enrollment verification letters will be available once you enroll in classes. If you’re a new incoming student who has yet to enroll in any courses (i.e. an incoming freshman who cannot enroll before attending SOAR), an enrollment letter will not be available.
Timing
The employer, loan provider, or other third party might have attempted to verify enrollment before you signed up for classes and/or before the information was reported to the National Student Clearinghouse*. Please note that enrollment information is sent to the National Student Clearinghouse following the first day of classes.
If you are in need of enrollment verification for student loan purposes after you have enrolled but before enrollment has been reported to the National Student Clearinghouse, you can ask your lender for a loan deferment form. The Office of the Registrar can verify enrollment for the upcoming semester on this form.
* The National Student Clearinghouse is a nationwide verification service.
Privacy Restrictions
Under FERPA, UW–Madison won’t verify education records if you have selected to block the release of information related to your name, major field of study, dates of attendance and degree information. If such restrictions are in place, degree information will only be verified if the requestor provides us with a release you have signed.
Step-by-Step: Editing Your Privacy (FERPA) Settings
College Reports
The academic information requested in a college report (cumulative GPA, GPA scale, enrollment dates, academic standing, and eligibility to return to UW–Madison) is already available on your official transcript, which you can receive at no cost and which many students already provide as part of the transfer process.
The Office of the Registrar will send school(s) a letter on your behalf stating we no longer provide college reports or dean’s certifications and that they should rely on the information provided in your official transcript. Contact our office if you would like us to send a copy of this letter to your school(s).