Application Timeline

Applications are currently being accepted in all areas.

Currently, we are reviewing applications on a month by month basis through May or until an area reaches capacity.

General timeline:

• Priority Group: The application timeline starts each year in late June. Applications are accepted from June until December 1 for priority review. Students who apply during that window will be notified of their status by December 20th.
• Rolling Admissions: After December 1, applications are accepted as space is available through the spring.  Due to shifting student interest, new applicants could be accepted as late as June 1 for the upcoming cohort.

Applications for candidates starting coursework in June, 2020 are being accepted now.

Applications for candidates starting coursework in June, 2021 will start to be accepted during the summer of 2020.

Applying to the Program

Submitting an application through the UW-Madison Graduate School is the first step. Please read through the following web pages to learn about how to apply.

• Secondary Ed Program How To Apply (Overview all the steps involved)
• Secondary Ed Program Application Requirements
• UW Graduate School Application (Start the application)

Once materials from the Graduate School application have been received, emails will be sent to your listed email address providing updates and requesting additional information as needed.

Candidates with completed applications prior to Dec 1 will be reviewed as a group. After all qualified priority candidates have been reviewed, additional applications will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Admittance and Acceptance into the Program

Application Review

The content review team will review each candidate’s application portfolio. General criteria are applied to all program applicants. Subject-specific preparation is considered as well in each certification area.

Status Notification

Applicants may be given the status of  Accept, Conditional Accept, Hold, Alternate, or Declined.

•  Offer of Acceptance—Students will be admitted as soon as they are qualified by the Graduate school.
• Conditional Acceptance—Students will be given an offer of acceptance after the successful completion of some identified deficiency.
• Hold–Reserves a spot for a candidate until a clarification of some sort is made.
• Alternate–Students designated as alternates may be re-considered if space becomes available.

A status-notification email will be sent to the applicant’s address of record by December 20th.

​Applicant Acceptance

Students must notify the program if they accept the position prior to January 10th.   If no word is received by January 10th, the candidate will revert to the “alternate list.”   When space becomes available, candidates on an Alternate List will be notified and given two weeks to confirm their acceptance.

Prior to Starting the Program

• All participants will need to complete outstanding application components:
  1. submit official documents as requested by the UW-Madison Graduate School ( ie transcripts for non-UW graduates or transfer credits),
  2. if needed, take, and pass an academic exam (ACT/GRE) or content exam (PRAXIS 2 for subject area). Applicants will be contacted if the exam is required
  3. complete an undergraduate degree and share the final transcript
  4. complete content pre-requisites, or other items from a conditional status.  (ie courses or degrees from the spring term)
• An email will be sent in March requesting a background check.  This must be submitted prior to course enrollment.
• An email will be sent in late April listing the initial set of courses to register for the first summer. Candidates will need to be registered for summer courses to access course instructor messages.