A new Universities of Wisconsin (UWs) policy would ensure that all core general education courses can transfer between each of the 13 UWs.
The proposed Board of Regents policy, now being shared for comment at the UWs, is a student-friendly approach to transfer that will guarantee that core general education credits earned at one UW university will transfer and apply towards graduation requirements at another UW university. Core general education requirements would range from 30 to 36 credit hours in 10 to 12 courses in six curricular categories at all the UWs.
“The success of our students is paramount,” said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. “Nothing should keep students from pursuing their dreams, and this policy puts students first.”
Establishing core general education courses and ensuring their transferability across the UWs would:
- Provide broader consistency and transparency in the core general education requirements across all of the UWs.
- Reaffirm that college credit earned in high school through statewide dual enrollment opportunities transfers and applies the same as credit earned while in college.
- Strengthen existing transfer pathways for students transferring not only between UWs but also from the Wisconsin Technical College System.
- Ensure general education credit mobility and course applicability.
- Reduce the time to degree completion and the cost of attendance following transfer between UWs.
The UWs have taken steps in recent years to smooth out credit transfers between universities. This new effort is the result of provisions in the 2025-27 state budget.
Core general education courses are the courses students must take for graduation outside of their major and minor requirements, and the credit hour requirements currently vary widely depending upon the university.
While the credits associated with the core general education courses transfer between the UWs, the applicability of the courses has been uneven. The new policy is designed to ensure courses transfer and apply to new graduate requirements consistently.
Rothman said students should have clear expectations that core general education courses will easily transfer. The policy will be reviewed by the Board of Regents this fall and, if approved, will go into effect for undergraduate students who first enroll in fall 2026.
A copy of the draft policy is available at wisconsin.edu/act-15-cger/.
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The Universities of Wisconsin serve approximately 164,400 students. Awarding more than 37,000 degrees annually, these 13 public universities are Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. Nearly 90 percent of in-state Universities of Wisconsin graduates stay in the state five years after earning a degree. The universities provide a 23:1 return on state investment. The Universities of Wisconsin also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy. Learn more at wisconsin.edu.
