Greetings from UW-Madison! We expect that most of the information you are looking for can be found on the pages we have written for students. This page includes some administrative details partners have asked about in the past. We strive to be a responsive and communicative partner, so do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns.
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Program Dates
Students are required to be present at UW-Madison from orientation until their last final exam is complete. We set orientation dates about a semester in advance, and aim to have them listed publicly on our website prior to accepting students for any given term. If you are setting general dates for your students, it’s always safe to set a week before the first day of class as a “start”, as our orientation is never more than a few days before the start of the semester. The last day of our exam period is always the absolute last day they need to be present, though their exam schedule could result in them being able to leave earlier. Our academic calendar is set several years in advance.
US Citizens
We have several US citizens here on exchange every year. US citizens should provide us with a copy of their US passport ID page instead of financial support documentation. This will allow us to accept them as an exchange student without financial documents. They will not receive a DS-2019 and do not need a visa. Exchange students with US citizenship should be certain to enter the United States on their US passport. Our International Student Services office will not send them any communications (due to their citizenship status), which means that these students will not get notifications about events and activities meant for international students. They will receive all communications from a UW-Madison study abroad office regardless of their citizenship status.
US citizens are not required to carry our Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), although any student enrolled full-time is eligible to do so. We feel that it is important for all our students to have adequate insurance coverage for their duration of stay in the United States. More information is available on the SHIP domestic plan page for US citizen exchange students.
Cost of Attendance
Our Office of Student Financial Aid keeps cost of attendance information up to date. This is a best estimate at the types of costs a student will incur in the course of a year. Note the following:
- Use the Undergraduate Non-Resident Estimate
- Tuition & Fees are waived for exchange students
- Exchange students are not charged the International Student Fee
Students will need to provide documentation of a minimum amount of funds usable for living expenses in order to qualify for the J-1 visa. That amount is provided in our online application.
Insurance
Most students will be required to purchase our campus’s Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP). The office that administers SHIP can review institutional or national insurance plans to see if it is possible to grant a waiver to all students from a particular university. SHIP will not review requests from individual students. Travel insurance plans will not qualify for a waiver. Contact your UW-Madison study abroad office with details of your plan in order for us to assist you with the review process.
Grades and Transcript Notations
Our Office of the Registrar issues our official transcripts. The Registrar also provides information on what to expect on a standard UW-Madison transcript.
New Exchange Partnerships
Institutions interested in partnering with us on exchange can contact Matt Geisler, IAP Associate Director for New Programs and Enrollment, for more information. Institutions looking for direct enroll (fees-paying) opportunities or cohort programs should contact our colleagues in the Visiting International Student Program (VISP).
Orientation
Together, your online and on-site orientation will set you up for success at UW-Madison. We recommend that you watch our online orientation video modules a few weeks prior to your arrival on campus.