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Pre-Business Admissions Policies


The pre-business application is for current UW–Madison students or transfer students seeking enrollment in the undergraduate business program.

Application Open Period: Once per year, Spring term

Pre-Business Admission Eligibility Requirements

Application Open Period

The pre-business application is open once per year during the spring term, typically for two weeks in the first-half of March

Maximum Chances to Apply

1 attempt

Application Window, Counting Spring Application term

Within first four terms (Fall/Spring) at UW–Madison, based on enrollment date

Required Credits in Residence, Excludes pre-enrollment college credits

24 credits completed/in-progress at UW-Madison. In-progress course credits towards this minimum must be completed at the end of the spring application term.

Minimum GPA, See GPA details below

3.0 Overall GPA in UW–Madison coursework

Prerequisite Course Requirements

Yes. See Four Pre-Business Prerequisite Courses section below.

Required Enrollment Status

For all applicants, enrollment is required at UW–Madison or transfer institution during the spring application term.

Required Pre-Business 101

Pre-Business 101 workshop is required during the intended application year.

Enrollment is required in the School of Business for the ensuing fall term, if admitted.

Application Open Period

The pre-business application is open once per year during the spring term, typically for two weeks in the first-half of March

Maximum Chances to Apply

1 attempt

Application Window, Counting Spring Application term

Within first four terms (Fall/Spring) at UW–Madison, based on enrollment date

Required Credits in Residence, Excludes pre-enrollment college credits

12 credits completed/in-progress at UW-Madison. In-progress course credits towards this minimum must be completed at the end of the spring application term.

Minimum GPA, See GPA details below

3.0 Overall GPA in UW–Madison coursework only

Prerequisite Course Requirements

Yes. See Four Pre-Business Prerequisite Courses section below.

Required Enrollment Status

For all applicants, enrollment is required at UW–Madison or transfer institution during the spring application term.

Required Pre-Business 101

Pre-Business 101 workshop is required during the intended application year.

Enrollment is required in the School of Business for the ensuing fall term, if admitted.

Application Open Period

The pre-business application is open once per year during the spring term, typically for two weeks in the first-half of March

Maximum Chances to Apply

See Direct Transfer details below

Application Window, Counting Spring Application term

See Direct Transfer details below

Required Credits in Residence, Excludes pre-enrollment college credits

See Direct Transfer details below

Minimum GPA, See GPA details below

3.0 Overall GPA in transfer institution coursework

Prerequisite Course Requirements

Yes. See Four Pre-Business Prerequisite Courses section below.

Required Enrollment Status

For all applicants, enrollment is required at UW–Madison or transfer institution during the spring application term.

Required Pre-Business 101

Pre-Business 101 workshop is required during the intended application year. Transfer students can access the Pre-Business 101.

Enrollment is required in the School of Business for the ensuing fall term, if admitted.

Pre-Business Admission Policies

Application Information

Pre-Business 101

Minimum Overall GPA

Four Pre-Business Prerequisite Courses

One of:

  • English 100 (3 credits), Introduction to College Composition
  • Comm Arts 100 (3 credits), Introduction to Speech Composition
  • English 118 (3 credits, non-native English speakers only), ESL: Academic Writing II
  • Life Science Communication 100 (3 credits), Science and Storytelling

One of:

  • MATH 112 (3 credits), Algebra
  • MATH 114 (5 credits), Algebra and Trigonometry
  • MATH 171 (5 credits), Calculus with Algebra and Trigonometry I
  • COMP SCI 102 (3 credits), Introduction to Computation
  • or complete through UW-Madison Math Placement

One of:

  • Economics 101 (4 credits), Microeconomics
  • Economics 111 (4 credits, honors course), Principles of Economics — Accelerated Treatment

One of:

  • Psychology 202 (3-4 credits), Introduction to Psychology (or equivalent)
  • Sociology 211 (3 credits), The Sociological Enterprise
  • Anthropology 104 (3 credits), Cultural Anthropology and Human Diversity
  • Gender and Women’s Studies 102 (3 credits); Gender, Women, and Society in Global Perspective
  • Human Development and Family Studies 263 (3 credits); Development from Adolescence to Old Age

Eligible applicants are prospective transfer students that have also applied to UW–Madison for the ensuing fall term at the time of the pre-business application. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure application requirements are fulfilled between these two separate processes.

Qualifying transfer institutions include UW System and Wisconsin Technical College System institutions.

Overall GPA for Direct Transfer applicants must be a 3.0 across pre-enrollment coursework at the time of starting the application, and at the end of the spring application term.

Direct Transfer applicants that are ultimately admitted to UW–Madison and enroll, but are not admitted to the undergraduate business program, may apply a second time within their first four semesters (Fall/Spring) at UW–Madison. For this second application attempt, overall GPA would be based on UW–Madison coursework only and must be a 3.0 or higher at the time of starting the application and at the end of the spring application term.

Current UW–Madison students and transfer students offered admission to the Wisconsin undergraduate business program must enroll at UW–Madison the following fall semester (or be on a university-sponsored study abroad experience). If an admitted student is unable to attend in the fall term, the student must decline the offer of admission. Students who meet eligibility requirements may reapply at a later date.

The Direct Admit offer to the Wisconsin undergraduate business program to incoming high school students that have been granted a one-year deferred enrollment request by the UW–Madison Office of Admissions and Recruitment will also carry over for one year. Students must successfully complete the reentry process with the UW–Madison Office of Admissions and Recruitment as an incoming freshmen student. Students planning to defer should contact the undergraduate business program admissions team.

Any applicant found to have plagiarized or manufactured false content (of any kind) as part of the application will be automatically disqualified and may lose privileges to apply later. The applicant may also be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for follow-up.

Letters of recommendation and other supporting documents will not be reviewed as part of the Wisconsin undergraduate business application. This includes any documentation submitted separately from the formal application.

Students who have already earned a bachelor’s degree may not apply for admission to the Wisconsin undergraduate business program.

Students enrolled in the Wisconsin undergraduate business program may not apply to the Certificate in Business (CIB) Program.

Applicants who wish to appeal an admissions policy must submit a policy appeal to the undergraduate business admissions team by March 1 of the term in which the student applies. A meeting with a pre-business advisor is required before submitting an appeal.