Most students who apply to UWM as Undecided new students are admitted into Pathway Advising.
Some exceptions: Students who indicate pre-professional program interest on their applications may be admitted into one of the Colleges (Letters & Science, Health Sciences) that house those programs. Incoming undecided transfer students with more than a semester’s worth of transferrable credit are typically admitted into and advised by the College of Letters & Sciences, as our program is primarily focused on new students
Other students may have applied to UWM’s specific majors and programs but were determined through UWM’s holistic admissions process to be a student who would benefit from additional support in the first academic year. Those supports include more intentional advising, connections to supplemental instruction and tutoring, skill-development courses, and/or career decision-making assistance.
What factors into holistic admission?
UWM’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions staff review all application materials from a student to make a determination on the best route of admission for that student. This includes high school academic records, specific course work, standardized test scores, and a personal statement. Students who apply to a specific major but are admitted into Pathway Advising have had at least three levels of review before a final determination was made.
Can I declare a major (or a metamajor) after admission?
Once admitted, you’ll have access to your Student Portal via a link sent to you. On that Student Portal, you’ll find options to choose a metamajor (if remaining undecided) or declare a major. In some cases, application materials will need to be re-reviewed to see whether you meet admission requirement for your chosen major.
Important Information for International Students
UWM’s Pathway Advising program is not an International Pathway Program. While other universities and colleges have “Pathway Programs” that combine language courses with introductory college work for international students and second-language learners, UWM’s Pathway Advising does not have that focus. Instead, our program focuses on helping new students to UWM explore possible majors while completing coursework that will lead to acceptance into the student’s chosen major – we are geared only towards those students who are undecided or need further academic preparation before progressing into their major. Currently, international students admitted as new undecided students through our Center for International Education are accepted into and advised by UWM’s College of Letters & Science.
Transfer Students
Because UWM’s Pathway Advising program is meant to utilize the University General Education Requirement (GER) courses for the purposes of major exploration and readiness, our program accepts only those transfer students with 45 or fewer transferrable college credits. Those transfer applicants accepted into UWM as Undecided students who have 45 or more transferrable credits will be admitted by the College of Letters & Sciences.