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June 11, 2024
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In this issue: Preparing for grad school, enrolling in classes, and more.
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Brush up on what you need to know with GradConnections
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, mental health resources, funding opportunities, and the Pet of the Week feature.
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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Getting Started
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Sign up for multi-factor authentication by July 1
All UW–Madison students, faculty, and staff must use Duo multi-factor authentication (MFA) when signing in with their UW NetID. Duo MFA provides an extra layer of identity protection when accessing UW–Madison applications.
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Soon: Use (or forward) your WiscMail account
WiscMail is your official campus email and is the university's main method of contacting you as a student. You'll get access to WiscMail through MyUW around or after Friday, June 14. If you run into issues accessing your WiscMail, contact the DoIT Help Desk.
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Prepare to enroll in classes
As early as Monday, June 24, 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
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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 rates are available through the Bursar's Office website in the Tuition Rates Workbook. 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.
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Tuition remission for graduate assistants
Most 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.
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Segregated fees
Segregated fees at UW–Madison contribute toward the student bus pass program, University Health Services, the Child Care Tuition Assistance Program, and other services, which are used at significant rates by graduate students. 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.
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Tuition refunds
The date you drop a course determines whether 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.
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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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A graduate student guide to working with faculty advisors
In graduate school, your relationship with your faculty advisor (or advisors) will be one of the most important relationships you build to support your academic success. The online, self-paced micro-course " A Graduate Student Guide to Working with Faculty Advisors" helps graduate students learn about the characteristics of functional and dysfunctional relationships with faculty advisors, strategies for communicating effectively and aligning expectations, and program grievance processes and Hostile and Intimidating Behavior resources. The micro-course only takes 20 minutes and is optional but encouraged for all graduate students.
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Stay on track with the new student checklist
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
- Update your medical clearances information in MyUHS
- 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 28 (official invitation coming mid-July!)
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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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An essential read: Graduate Student Life
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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Information for international students
Avoiding Scams and Fraud
Unfortunately, many international students are the targets of scams and fraud. Keep these tips in mind:
- U.S. government and law enforcement agencies (such as the IRS, USCIS, ICE, and the U.S. Department of State) will never ask for debit card, credit card, or prepaid/gift card information over the phone. They will never request immediate payment over the phone. You would receive a notification from a U.S. government office before any phone call is made to you.
- Scammers will rush you and want you to act quickly. They may threaten you, tell you to stay on the line and not hang up, or tell you that the conversation must be kept a secret.
- If you receive a call and are not sure if it is a scam, contact ISS for a second opinion.
- Be aware of the common types of scams and fraud, as well as the common warning signs of scams, by reading the full ISS guide to avoiding scams and fraud.
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Welcome Week
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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 28, 2024. 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 to register for New Graduate Student Welcome and with details on other Welcome Week events, happening August 26 through August 30.
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Professional Development: Get the most out of your graduate career
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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 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?
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
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Campus Climate
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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 the Accessibility@UW–Madison website 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 should reach out to the McBurney Disability Resource Center on campus, which can provide students with academic accommodations. 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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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 HIB resources on campus and staff available to talk.
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Funding and Financial Aid Tips
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Be proactive when looking for funding
- If you are looking for funding, start early and be proactive about possible gaps in your funding support.
- Seek out and apply for fellowships from federal agencies, professional organizations, and private foundations related to your discipline. Selected opportunities are listed on the Graduate School's fellowships webpage, and you can ask your advisor and peers in your discipline for help identifying possible fellowships to support your graduate study.
- Check out the funding information on the Graduate School's website.
- The Student Jobs Center also lists graduate assistantships for which students may directly apply.
- You can also search for scholarships you may be eligible for on the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub.
- Parents of young children can apply for the Child Care Tuition Assistance Program (CCTAP), or for the Child Care Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS) program. Additionally, the Kids Kare Program provides backup child care to student parents. Read more about financial assistance for student parents.
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.
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Strategies for funding an online master's degree
If you're returning to school in an 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
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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. Parking options
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