For Letters & Science undergraduates who have been academically suspended at the end of Spring 2024
For most students, academic suspension provides time needed to address issues that are interfering with academic progress. In rare cases, students may be able to demonstrate that those issues have been resolved.
SHOULD I APPEAL? You may apply for immediate readmission (or “appeal”) if you can:
- Describe the circumstances that interfered with your studies,
- Document that you have alreadytaken steps to change your situation, and
- Show that these circumstances have been resolved.
Some situations that might lead to a successful appeal:
- Sustained illness that has now been cured and/or treated;
- Sustained financial problems that have now been resolved;
- Personal trauma for which a student is now being treated and will continue treatment.
Some situations that do not meet the criteria for a successful appeal:
- I didn’t like my major or my classes.
- I didn’t get along with my roommates.
- My club/sport/Greek society/campus job took up all my time.
- I partied a lot and slept through my morning classes.
- I don’t want to tell my parents/my parents won’t let me leave college.
If you believe you can make a strong case for immediate readmission, please review the rest of this page and make a plan to complete the tasks below by the posted deadlines. Please note: Participating in the appeal process does not guarantee readmission for Summer/Fall 2024.
The appeal is not a good option for students who need time to figure out what challenges have affected their studies, who need time to resolve those challenges, or have been granted an appeal at the end of the previous term. If you participated in Faculty Appeals last semester/term, you must meet with an academic dean to seek permission to appeal again. The second consecutive appeal will not be scheduled without Dean’s permission. If you do not wish to appeal, please review Readmission after Academic Suspension to identify steps to get ready for readmission after your suspension year has passed.
WHAT DOES AN APPEAL INCLUDE? An appeal includes a written component and a meeting:
- Submit written documentation no later than June 2, 2024, that describes
- The challenges that affected your classes, learning, and grades and the changes that have already been made to address them.
- A two-part plan for academic success.
- More details on these requirements appear below.
- Meet with the appeal committee of professors and academic deans on either Thursday, June 6, 2024, or Friday, June 7, 2024. In-person appointments are preferred. However, virtual options are available for those who cannot make it in person.
HOW DO I APPEAL MY SUSPENSION?
Step 1: Request an appeal
BEFORE 11:59 PM CST, Monday, May 27, 2024
Complete and submit the appeal request form by the deadline above to let us know you want to appeal for immediate readmission to UW–Madison for Summer/Fall 2024. (Please note that you may be directed to a Google webpage. Use your @wisc.edu email address which will take you to the UW-Madison website to log in with your NetID and password in order to access the appeal request form.)
You’ll need:
- Names and email addresses of your advisors (find your advisors).
- Your availability for Thursday, June 6, 2024 and Friday, June 7, 2024 (in-person appointments are preferred). Give accurate information about your schedule, since it may be difficult to change an appointment after it’s been assigned.
This is only for students who were academically suspended after the Spring 2024 term. If you were academically suspended after an earlier term and are ready to apply for readmission, go here.
Step 2: Create your documents
You must prepare and submit two documents by the deadline.
- Appeal statement(required; up to 750 words): This is your main opportunity to help the appeal committee understand what specific and concrete changes you have made to resolve the issues or circumstances that have affected your studies. Focus on specific examples and describe changes and plans that are already in place. Explain why you believe you have a realistic chance at academic success in the upcoming term, if immediately readmitted.
- Two-part Plan for Success (required; address both Plan A and Plan B): This document helps the appeal committee to understand your future plans regardless of whether you will be immediately readmitted or your suspension is upheld. We strongly recommend that you talk with your academic advisor to confirm your plan before you submit this document for appeals.
A. PLAN A: Lay out your plans to complete your degree if you are readmitted immediately.
Questions to consider for Plan A: Degree Plan
- Do you need to change majors? If so, why?
- Do you need to take different courses? If so, why?
- What strategies do you have to ensure your academic success?
- Is your new plan manageable? You can also run a “what if” DARS report to see how your completed classes fit into new majors or certificates.
B. PLAN B: Lay out your plans if you are not immediately readmitted to UW- Madison for Summer/Fall 2024. Your Plan B should include concrete steps for addressing the challenges that have interfered with your academic progress while you are taking one year away.
Questions to consider for Plan B: Alternate Plan:
- Do you need to find consistent medical resources?
- Do you need to work on academic strategies at Madison Collegeor another institution?
- Do you want to get a job to gain some work experience?
- Do you need to stabilize your financial situation?
- Supporting documents(optional). — Depending on your situation, you can include other materials with your appeal statement, to illustrate what factors contributed to your earlier probation status and how you have resolved these factors.
- A note on AI: Like other information content and sources, generative AI can be used to support original ideas but not used to write your essays and not presented as your own original work. If you choose to use AI to assist you in generating these documents, you are expected to adhere to UW-Madison conduct standards of honesty and integrity. Falsification is a violation of UWS Chapter 17.09(9). As such, you must properly credit any sources used in your written submission.
Step 3: Upload your documents to Box
BEFORE 11:59 PM CST, Sunday, Jun 2, 2024
When you submit the appeal request form, you will receive an email with a link to an online Box folder created specifically for your appeal documents.
Upload your required documents, including (1) appeal statement and (2) degree & alternate plan (Microsoft Word or PDF formats work best). Any optional supporting documents (PDFs, scans, etc.) can be submitted to the Box folder.
Both documents need to be uploaded by the deadline for your appeal to continue to the next step. Students who do not send in these documents will not be considered for appeal and will not be able to take classes at UW–Madison until a successful readmission for Summer/Fall 2025 or later.
The appeal committee will read the material you provide, meet with you, and then make a decision about whether you may be immediately readmitted to continue your studies at UW–Madison in Summer/Fall 2024. Making this decision, the committee primarily considers:
- your awareness and insight into the factors that have affected your studies
- concrete evidence that these circumstances have been addressed or resolved
- the likelihood that you will be academically successful in the immediately upcoming term.
Step 4: Check your email for your appeal appointment date and time
BEFORE 12:00 PM CST, Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Appointments will be assigned based on the information you provided in the original form. Take a moment to confirm that you will be available for this time. The email will explain where to go, what time to arrive for check-in, the time of your actual appointment, and other details.
If your appointment is virtual/online, double-check that you have access to a computer or other device with Zoom installed, that you have a working camera and microphone, and that you will have access to a quiet, private space with reliable internet access for your appointment.
Need to change your time? — Contact L&S Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services immediately: lsdeans@saa.ls.wisc.edu or (608) 262-0617. We will do our best to accommodate emergencies, but have limited flexibility to change appointment times once they are assigned.
Step 5: Attend your appeal appointment
Thursday, June 6, 2024 OR Friday, June 7, 2024 (either in person or virtual; In-person appointments are preferred)
Check in at your assigned time. If, for any reason, you will be late or will miss your appointment, call us at (608) 262-0617 (this telephone number will also be in your appointment confirmation email).
You will meet with a small group of professors and academic deans, who will have read your uploaded materials along with other parts of your UW–Madison student record.
The appeal hearing is your opportunity to tell your story in person. You will talk with the appeals committee for 20 to 25 minutes. We know this isn’t easy, especially for students who have had significant illness, personal loss, financial burdens, or other stresses. The appeal committee isn’t judging your life experiences: they will look at the facts to understand whether your setbacks have been resolved, or whether you will benefit from the full year’s break from studies (as do many students in your situation).They will ask you to wait in a private space while they confer, then the dean will join you to tell you whether your appeal was successful.
Read more about what to expect in your appeal: https://uwmadison.box.com/s/2deq8zklnxducl1925y9xhgejccnlpfrn
Step 6: After the appeal, move forward
Committee appeal decisions are final. Students who have been academically suspended can appeal only once during the appeal period: there is no way to appeal a second time.
Approved for immediate readmission?
You may continue your studies in Summer/Fall 2024, with a status of Strict Probation. Perhaps you will choose to enroll in different fall classes or even change your major. Keep in touch with your advisors, use campus resources (tutoring, health, counseling, and financial aid services)—and implement your plan for academic success.
With the status of Strict Probation, your Summer/Fall 2024 term GPA will need to be at least 2.000 to avoid being academically suspended at the end of your next semester of enrollment.
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Summer/Fall Courses and Dropped Status
Students are not eligible to take courses at UW-Madison while they are in dropped status. All students in dropped status who remain enrolled in summer/fall term classes will be administratively withdrawn from the upcoming term at the end of the appeals period. Students who are administratively withdrawn will not be charged tuition for these classes.
If you have any questions, please call our office at (608) 262-0617 for further assistance.
Extenuating circumstances that have resulted in successful appeals
- Sustained illness that has now been cured and/or treated
- Sustained financial problems that have now been resolved
- Personal trauma for which a student is now being treated and will continue treatment
If one of these reasons matches your extenuating circumstance, there is still no guarantee that your appeal will be a successful one. The Faculty Appeals committee takes many factors into consideration when hearing and review a student’s appeal.
Circumstances, which, in general, are not considered extenuating for a successful appeal
- I didn’t like my major and now I’ve finally decided what to do
- I was partying a lot during the week and sleeping through my morning classes
- There was a sudden death in my family and now I’m ready to work. (Please note that if it is a long-standing illness that took a student’s focus away, the student must be prepared to document this when speaking with the Faculty Appeals committee.)
- I didn’t get along with my roommates
- I didn’t like my classes
- I’m only a science major (pre-med, pre-business, history, etc.) because my parents want me to be
- My parents will be upset with me if I don’t get readmitted and/or my parents are forcing me to appeal my drop status so I can continue my studies in the upcoming term
Criteria for considering readmission
- Whether there were extraordinary circumstances that were out of your control
- Whether you will be able (and have already shown evidence to this effect) to correct your academic course and be successful
- Whether these circumstances are likely to reappear and lead to another “Strict Probation” or Drop Status before you reach graduation
I have been readmitted?
Your course enrollment will not be discontinued for the upcoming semester(s) and you will be placed on Strict Probation. (See what is the L&S academic probation system for the rules regarding probation and maintaining good academic standing in the College of Letters & Science.)
My drop status has been sustained
If your drop status has been sustained, you will automatically be withdrawn from the upcoming semester or summer term. You will also need to work with housing (landlords or UW University Housing) to determine your status and move out, if applicable.
I do not want to appeal my drop. What do I do?
If you decide not to appeal your drop status and take the mandatory one-year time off from your formal studies at UW–Madison (or if your appeal was not successful), it is entirely up to you to determine what steps you will take next.
- Some students take courses elsewhere and have the credits transferred by to UW-Madison through the Office of Admissions and Recruitment.
- Some students take time off from studies to work full-time in order to pay off bills, save up funds for tuition, etc.
- Some students do some soul-searching to determine whether or not to return to school, etc.
Can I appeal my drop before the mandatory one year time off from my formal studies?
You cannot appeal before the mandatory one-year time period. If you do not appeal for readmission immediately after being dropped from the University, you are required to take off one full year from your studies at UW-Madison. For example, if you are dropped/placed on academic suspension at the end of the summer 2023 term, you will need to take off fall 2023, spring 2024 and summer 2024. If you do appeal and your drop status is sustained, you cannot appeal at a later date to return before the mandatory one-year time period.