Placement Information
Students have different options in different subject areas to help determine which class to start with or to determine if a requirement has been satisfied. It is important to have this conversation with an advisor as well to discuss the options. New freshmen typically complete placement testing (if needed) from March through May of their senior year of high school. Transfer students and others who need placement should complete the needed assessment as soon as possible after admission. Additional details about course placement are available on the Registrar’s placement page.
Math Placement
Any of the following can be used to determine math level:
- ACT/SAT score
- Prior college credit in math coursework
- AP or IB math scores
- Completion of the ALEKS placement test
More information about what scores correlate with which math classes can be viewed at https://uwm.edu/math/undergraduate/resources/math-placement/
English Placement
Any of the following can be used to determine English level:
- ACT/SAT score
- Prior college credit in English coursework
- AP or IB math scores
- Completion of the Guided English Placement online tool
More information can be viewed at https://uwm.edu/english/composition/gep/
Chemistry Placement
Students registering for Chemistry 102 or 104 will take a placement test during the first week of class to ensure they have the requisite background knowledge to succeed in the course. Depending on the placement test results, students may need to adjust their schedule, moving up or down to a higher or lower level class.
French, German or Spanish Language Placement
Students can use previous college credit or AP credit to determine which language class to take upon entry to UWM. Or, students can take the UW-System placement test. This test is available after admissions and at certain times of the semester. https://exams.wisc.edu/placement/regionaltesting/information.php
Other Languages Placement
(Ancient Greek, Anishinaabe, Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hmong, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Portuguese, Russian)
Students can use previous college credit or AP credit to determine which language class to take upon entry to UWM. Or, student can use the self-assessment online tool. This 15 minute process will provide students with an immediate suggestion upon completion. https://milwaukee.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6xvwEGOHG6e5r6K
What does it mean to take a course for credit / no credit?
Students may enroll in a course on a credit / no credit (C/NC) basis with the following restrictions. Instead of receiving a grade, the student’s transcript will reflect C or NC.
- The course may not be in your major, minor or certificate program.
- The course may not be part of the Honors College.
- The course may not be taken to complete the English and/or mathematics requirements.
To be granted credit (“C”) a student must earn the equivalent of “C-” grade or better based on class performance. The credits will be counted toward the total needed for the degree but will have no impact on GPA. Only one course per semester up to a maximum of eight courses total may be taken on a credit / no credit basis.
How many credits can I or should I take in a semester?
A student is considered full-time if they take 12 or more credits in a regular semester (Fall or Spring). However in order to reach 120 credits in four years, freshmen entering UWM with no other college credit must take at least 15 credits per semester.
The decision about how many credits to take at a time is a very personal decision and needs to consider other work or family responsibilities, goals for completion time, finances and other individual circumstances.
The maximum credit load for undergraduates is 18 credits in a fall or spring semester and 3 credits in UWinteriM. The maximum for summer is determined by the length of the session. For example, a student may only take 4 credits in a four-week session or 9 credits in an 8-week session. A student must obtain approval from their advisor to exceed these limits. See our overload policy.
Can I take classes at UWM and another college or university at the same time?
Attending more than one college at the same time is called concurrent enrollment. Students must request permission for concurrent enrollment in fall or spring. Permission is not required for summer or winter sessions. See our concurrent enrollment policy for more information on requesting permission for concurrent enrollment.
Do you offer credits for life experience?
We do not offer credits for life experience.
Do you offer retroactive credits?
Retroactive credits are only available in world languages. Students can take a placement test to try to skip ahead beyond the first-semester of a world language. Students must take that higher level course and, if a grade of B or better is earned, credit will be granted for the courses that were skipped over up to a maximum of 14 to 16 credits (depending on the language).
Requests for Language Retro Credits can be made after the grade has been posted in PAWS.
Students can login to complete the form at: Student Form to Request Language Retro Credits.
Forms also may be submitted by advisors and language instructors on behalf of eligible students at:
Advisor/Instructor Form to Request Language Retro Credits.
What is my class standing?
The number of credits completed determines your class standing:
- Freshmen (0-23 credits)
- Sophomore (24-55 credits)
- Junior (56-87 credits)
- Senior (88+ credits)