Enrollment Inquiries

Enrollment Tips

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Restricted Sections

If you receive an error message like “Course validation failed” or “Enrollment requisites not met” while trying to enroll, but you think that you meet the prerequisites for the course, you might be attempting to enroll in a special section reserved for students in a First-Year Interest Group (FIG), Residential Hall, or a special honors section. Please check the notes and enrollment requirements for any restrictions.

Waitlists

If a course section is full, students may add themselves to the wait list in Course Search & Enroll. Wait lists for the introductory (100 level) courses are not activated until the bulk of enrollment is complete and most sections are full, while wait lists for other chemistry courses are activated earlier.

Every effort is made to accommodate as many students as possible and wait lists are monitored continually up through the add deadline. Being on the wait list does not guarantee a student a seat in the class. Students are strongly encouraged to look for ways to make an open section work with their schedules, before adding to the wait list for a full section. Wait listed students are notified via email if a seat becomes available. Students should check their email daily, even over breaks. In general, priority is given to students in the order they joined the wait list, but for some courses more senior students will have priority.

Prerequisites for Fall Courses

If you are taking a summer course elsewhere (not at UW-Madison) that is a prerequisite for a chemistry course that you intend to take fall semester at Madison, you will not be able to enroll without special permission. To obtain that permission, you need to supply proof that you have enrolled in the equivalent prerequisite course.

You can use Transferology to see how your course will transfer.  If you plan to take a prerequisite course from an institution that is not in Transferology, you should submit a request for evaluation through the UW Office of Admissions Course Equivalency Service (CES). You will need to provide the report from CES when you request permission to enroll in the chemistry course.

Please send your request for permission, student ID number, proof of enrollment in prerequisite course, and proof of equivalency (if the course is not in Transferology) to the Undergraduate Chemistry Office (undergrad@chem.wisc.edu).

We do not offer pre-permissions for CHEM 103 or CHEM 109. Math requisites for these courses need to be completed before enrollment will be permitted.

Once you have completed your summer course, please send us an unofficial copy of your transcript, so that we can verify that you have met the prerequisite before the fall semester begins. You will still need to send an official copy of your transcript to UW Admissions so that your transfer credits can be posted on your record. The Office of the Registrar website has many more details on how to transfer your credits to UW Madison.

If you are enrolled for the prerequisite course during the summer term at UW-Madison, you will not need special permission to enroll in the fall course.

Enrollment Assistance

See Course Search & Enroll Help for general assistance and frequently asked questions about the Course Search & Enrollment app.

For assistance with enrollment specific to chemistry courses, please contact undergrad@chem.wisc.edu.

Still have questions?

If you need further assistance, or you still have enrollment or course access questions, please send an email including your student ID number and specific questions to the Undergraduate Chemistry Office (undergrad@chem.wisc.edu).

Staff from the Undergraduate Chemistry Office are currently working remotely and are monitoring this email during normal business hours, 8:00 am to 4:15 pm, Monday through Friday.