Frequently Asked Questions
This page lists answers to frequently asked questions about general education requirements.
Additional information will be added as it becomes available.
If you have a question not listed here, contact your academic advisor.
Last Updated: May 14, 2026
You can look up which requirement(s) a course satisfies in Course Search & Enroll and Guide. Information about Core GenEd requirements will be added to Guide in the near future.
Track your progress toward meeting your general education and other degree requirements using the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS).
A minimum qualifying score on the UW English Placement Test or the UW–Madison English as a Second Language Assessment Test (MSN-ESLAT) allows you to substitute 3 of the 6 required credits in the Communication & Literacy category with 3 credits of any Core GenEd coursework.
A minimum qualifying score on the UW Math Placement Test allows you to substitute 3 of the 6 required credits in the Math & Quantitative Reasoning category with 3 credits of any Core GenEd coursework.
Qualifying placement scores do not award degree credit, and you must still complete at least 30 credits of coursework carrying Core GenEd designations.
No. If your first term of postsecondary education is Summer 2026 or later, you will automatically follow the Core GenEd requirements.
No. You will continue to follow your current general education requirements unless you opt in to the Core GenEd requirements.
More details about this will be shared in the future once an opt-in process is available.
For most currently enrolled students, opting into Core GenEd is unlikely to provide an advantage and may not reduce the number of courses needed to complete your degree.
The 2025-27 biennial state budget, known as 2025 Wisconsin Act 15, included a requirement that by “no later than September 1, 2026, all credits for core general education courses… are transferable between (Universities of Wisconsin) institutions within the system and satisfy general education requirements at the receiving institution.”
2025 Wisconsin Act 15 is the law that mandated changes to general education course transferability among the Universities of Wisconsin.
Reach out to your academic advisor to talk about your specific circumstances.