June 14, 2022
In this issue: Preparing for grad school, enrolling in classes, and more.
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GradConnections is a weekly newsletter that goes out to all grad students each Tuesday during the academic year. It is prepared by the Graduate School Office of Professional Development and Communications and includes tips, events, deadlines, announcements, professional development opportunities, mental health resources, and funding opportunities.
This Special Edition is designed with new students in mind, with helpful tips to get you ready for graduate school at UW–Madison! Students begin receiving regular editions of GradConnections in September. Students enrolled in online master's programs will receive GradConnections bi-Weekly for Online Students every other week starting in September.
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UW–Madison's response to COVID-19
Since the pandemic began, the university has continuously adapted its guidance and policies in response to COVID-19 and communicated with our community. We continue to monitor COVID-19 in our community and work closely with state and local public health officials. Visit the COVID-19 Response webpage for up-to-date information, including campus COVID-19 policies. Any changes will be shared with students as soon as they happen, so continue to keep an eye out on the website, your wisc.edu email, and on campus social media.
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Prepare to enroll in classes
As early as Monday, June 27, new grad students can begin to enroll for fall semester courses using the Course Search & Enroll app. The Registrar’s Office emails all students with the specific date and time after which they can enroll. To access the Course Search & Enroll app and begin building your course schedule, log in to MyUW and select the Academic Navigator widget. Here are a few tips to prepare for enrollment:
- For help selecting courses, talk to your graduate program or faculty advisor.
- Note that the Graduate School has enrollment requirements for minimum and maximum credits, often depending on whether you have funding such as a graduate assistantship.
- If you have enrollment questions, first explore the Course Enrollment webpage.
- For technical support, contact the DoIT Help Desk at help@doit.wisc.edu or 608-264-4357 anytime from 7 am to 9 pm (Central Time) Monday through Friday, or 12 pm to 5 pm (Central Time) Saturday and Sunday.
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Paying tuition and fees
As a student, you pay tuition to cover the cost of your education, and segregated fees to cover the cost of student services on campus. Tuition and fee rates are posted on the Bursar's Office website each semester. Enrolled students receive tuition bills via email and have multiple payment methods available, including a payment plan. Any scholarships and financial aid payments the university receives for you are first applied against any outstanding tuition and fee charges.
Tuition remission for graduate assistants
Graduate students holding a teaching assistant (TA), research assistant (RA), lecturer student assistant (LSA), or project assistant (PA) appointment of 33.3% or higher (more than 13 hours per week) receive tuition remission*. Students with these assistantships are still responsible for paying segregated fees.
*Graduate students enrolled in service-based pricing programs, such as online and accelerated programs, are ineligible to receive tuition remission. Consult with your graduate program and read your admission and appointment letters carefully to understand your benefits eligibility. See the list of UW–Madison programs with service-based pricing.
Segregated fees
Segregated fees at UW–Madison contribute toward the student bus pass program, University Health Services, University Recreation & Wellbeing, the Child Care Tuition Assistance Program, the Wisconsin Union, and more. Unless you have a graduate assistantship, segregated fee payments are due at the same time as your tuition payment. Graduate assistants have a deferred segregated fee payment due date, which is the first Friday in December for the fall semester, and the first Friday in April for the spring semester.
Tuition Refunds
The date you drop a course determines if you will receive a tuition refund. Refer to the Registrar’s Office for all enrollment dates and deadlines.
For more information on the above topics, read the section on Tuition and Fees in Graduate Student Life.
Financial Aid
The Office of Student Financial Aid is here to help you navigate the financial aid process, including how to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), understanding different types of financial aid, and estimating your cost of attendance. Advisors are available to meet with students one-on-one for consultations.
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Stay on track with the new student checklist
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You'll have a lot to do when you get to Madison. To make sure you don't miss anything, the Graduate School has put together a checklist for new graduate students. At the top of the list of things to do in August when you arrive are:
- Update your contact information, including mailing address and phone number, in MyUW
- Get your Wiscard, which is your official campus ID card
- Pick up your free Madison Metro bus pass, usually available the week before classes begin
- Attend New Graduate Student Welcome on Wednesday, August 31
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Upload your immunization history to MyUHS
Help campus and upload your health history and immunization records to MyUHS. We encourage you to fill out this section to the best of your ability. The information you provide is confidential.
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An essential read: Graduate Student Life
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Written by current and former grad students for new graduate students, Graduate Student Life helps you get acquainted with campus, covering housing in Madison, getting around, campus life, academic resources, fun things to do around town, and much more.
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How online students can prepare for going back to school
For adult students, returning to school can be both an exciting and overwhelming experience. Putting in a little work before classes begin will help set you and your education up for success. Try these five ways to prepare for going back to school.
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Save the date for New Graduate Student Welcome!
The Graduate School invites all newly admitted graduate students to participate in New Graduate Student Welcome, happening on Wednesday, August 31, 2022. Don't miss this opportunity to hear from campus leaders, get advice from a panel of current students about graduate student life, learn about the many campus and community resources available to you, and connect with other new graduate students from across campus. You'll receive an official invitation via email in July.
Continue to watch your email this summer for details on other Welcome Week events, happening August 29 through September 2.
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Get the most out of your graduate career
You're about to begin a new graduate program. Now is the perfect time to look at your professional skills and how you want to develop them during your time as a graduate student.
The Graduate School's Office of Professional Development is the central hub of graduate student skill and career development on campus. With nearly 400 professional development events each year, there's something for every facet of development and every stage of graduate study. Fall 2022 events will appear in the events calendar later this summer.
Your first step: Create a plan.
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An Individual Development Plan (IDP) helps you assess your current skills, interests, and strengths, then make a plan to meet your academic and professional goals. An IDP also helps you develop strategies to communicate effectively with your advisors and mentors.
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DiscoverPD: Your tool for building academic and professional skills
DiscoverPD is an innovative tool for UW–Madison graduate students to advance their academic and professional goals. The 5-minute self-assessment in DiscoverPD provides you with a report of your strengths and areas of growth, allowing you to explore customized recommendations and add them to your Individual Development Plan.
By participating in professional development, you'll build the skills you need to succeed academically and thrive in your future career. Learn more by watching this introduction to DiscoverPD.
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Do your career goals include teaching or mentoring?
The Delta Program in Research, Teaching and Learning in the Graduate School promotes the development of a future national faculty that is committed to implementing and advancing effective teaching and research mentoring practices for diverse student audiences. The Delta Program offers workshops, courses, an Internship Program, and a Certificate Program.
Join the Delta community to:
- Explore inclusive and engaging teaching practices
- Gain skills and experience toward strong job application materials
- Belong to a community committed to advancing effective teaching
Want to learn more?
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Accessibility@UW–Madison
UW–Madison values all individuals and commits to a shared responsibility towards designing inclusively and accessibly for people with disabilities. Visit Accessibility@UW–Madison to learn about disability rights, ableism, accessibility resources, and information about creating accessible events and content.
Students who have a need related to a disability can reach out to the McBurney Disability Resource Center on campus, which can provide students with academic accommodations for their Wisconsin Experience. The McBurney Center can consult with students whether they have a long history of accommodations or are just exploring disability-related accommodations for the first time.
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UW–Madison statement on diversity and inclusion
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW–Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinions enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background — people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
Read more about campus climate.
Graduate School Diversity Statement
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in all its forms is central to a robust educational, professional, and research environment. The Graduate School aims to increase the enrollment of students from historically underserved and underrepresented populations while helping them be successful academically and personally. The Graduate School is committed to supporting our schools and colleges in creating an inclusive environment for all students to thrive.
Graduate students on our campus are valued individuals who are teachers, leaders, workers, volunteers, advocates, family members, and researchers in our community. We endeavor to support them in all aspects of their identities.
Learn more about the Graduate School Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Funding.
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Hostile and Intimidating Behavior
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is committed to preventing hostile and intimidating behavior (HIB) and will take prompt and appropriate corrective action whenever it learns that it has occurred. If you experience HIB as a graduate student, know that there are resources to help and staff available to talk.
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Funding and financial aid tips for grad students
Be proactive when looking for funding:
Know your overall costs:
- The cost of attendance webpage provides an estimate of your expenses.
- GradSense.org's Budget Calculator will help you figure out where you stand financially and how to make smart decisions about your future.
Know the terms of your funding offers:
- Understand your funding package, which may include a combination of different types of appointments, such as teaching assistant positions, program assistantships, or fellowships.
- The university uses graduate assistantships as an umbrella term that includes teaching assistants (TAs), project assistantships (PAs), and research assistantships (RAs).
- If you have a grad assistantship, fellowship, or traineeship, make sure you understand the terms and conditions of your appointment, including:
- start/end dates
- stipend
- whether you are eligible for tuition remission
- whether you need to pay segregated fees
- date of your first paycheck (usually late September)
- tax information
- enrollment requirements
- whether the appointment includes any health benefits.
- Appointments may have different, or no, work requirements, and may differ in the benefits they offer, so it is important to understand exactly what types of support each appointment offers.
For more information, check out the finances and employment information in Graduate Student Life. If you have questions, contact the Graduate School Office of Fellowships and Funding Resources at offr@grad.wisc.edu.
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Strategies for funding your online master's degree
If you're returning to school in an all-online master's program, you may have more options than you think when it comes time to pay for tuition. Check out these seven tips for funding your education from the UW–Madison Professional Degrees & Certificates team.
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Help with your housing search
Many graduate students live in University Apartments, the collective name for three different neighborhoods: Eagle Heights, University Houses, and the Harvey Street Apartments. University Apartments boasts a vibrant community of campus-affiliated people from around the world.
If you're looking for housing off campus, the Campus Area Housing guide includes apartments, houses, sublets and roommate openings, privately owned residence halls, and more. If you're looking for off-campus housing, start here. Campus Area Housing staff can also help you determine if a listing you find online is legitimate.
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Parking options for graduate students
The best way to get to and around UW–Madison's campus is often on foot, bike, or by bus. However, a limited number of reduced/low-cost parking options are available on campus for graduate students. Read more about reduced and low cost parking options, and contact customerservice@fpm.wisc.edu with any questions.
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Stay connected by following us on social media!
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Why did I get this? You received this email because you have been admitted to a UW–Madison graduate program and have not declined your offer of admission. If you do not plan to attend UW–Madison and received this email in error, make sure you have declined admission in Online Status Check via MyUW. If you have already done so, you can contact the program to which you applied to ensure their records are correct.
Photos by UW–Madison, University Communications.
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Graduate School
University of Wisconsin–Madison
500 Lincoln Drive
217 Bascom Hall
Madison, WI 53706
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