Retroactive Credit Policy for Foreign Languages
Information below provided by the College of Letters & Science, the Office of the Registrar, and Dr. Andrew Irving, Department of French & Italian.
A student can earn a maximum of four semesters of retroactive credits for foreign language. The number of credits varies according to the language. If the conditions below are met, retroactive credits should appear automatically on a student's transcript by the beginning of the following semester (e.g., if the language was completed in the fall semester, the retroactive credits should appear on a student's record by the beginning of the spring semester); if retroactive credits do not appear, the student should fill out a Retroactive Language Credit Request Form and submit that form to the office of the Academic Dean at the student's particular school or college.
To be eligible to earn foreign language retroactive credits…
- … the language course must be the student's first college course in the language
The course taken to earn retrocredit must be the student's first college course in the language. If a student transfers a course in a foreign language, they cannot earn retrocredit at UW-Madison in that language. If a student earned retrocredit at another campus, Admissions will normally allow the credits to transfer. University level foreign language courses taken while enrolled in the high school shall not be considered college courses for this purpose, even if they generate college credit. If a student has taken such a course, the course taken to establish retrocredit eligibility must be at a higher level.
- … AND the course must be taken before she or he has earned 30 degree credits (including Advanced Standing credits transferred from other campuses)
Incoming new freshmen are eligible to earn retrocredits during their first two semesters regardless of the number of degree credits earned. Otherwise, 29 degree credits is the most students can have and still earn retros. These do not include Advanced Placement, CLEP, International Baccalaureate credits, credit by departmental examination, or retrocredits already awarded (for example, when a student is awarded retro credits for another language learned.
- … AND the course must be designated appropriate for earning retroactive credits
The course must be designated appropriate for earning retros by the department. Not all courses offer retrocredits. Some departments allow retros for upper-level literature courses. The student should contact the appropriate department for more details or check the department specific information.
- … AND the student must earn the appropriate grade ("B or better")
Also to consider:
If a student drops a language course, they can take it again and be eligible for retroactive creditsprovided they have not passed the 29 degree credit mark.
Grades (A, B, C, etc.) are not given for retroactive credits, and they are not counted toward residence requirements. They do count towards the 120 credits needed for graduation.
Students who have earned retroactive credits elsewhere may be able to transfer these credits if they were earned in substantially the manner described above.
Native speakers of a language cannot earn retroactive credits in that language. Your native language is defined as the language of instruction at your secondary school.
If a student earns Advanced Placement credit in a foreign language, they can still earn retroactive credits, provided they take a course specifically designated appropriate for students with AP credit (see section on Advanced Placement). AP credit supersedes the foreign language placement test for purposes of placement.
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