You will begin your college journey by attending New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage, a one-day program held during the summer required of all new freshmen. There you will meet fellow students, learn about the things that make UWP special, and register for the classes you will take in the fall semester. Your parents, family, and friends are invited to attend with you. This is the first day you will spend as a new UWP student!
Submit your enrollment deposit and contract (if you have not done so already) to the UW-Platteville Admission Office, 1 University Plaza, Platteville, WI 53818. You must have paid your enrollment deposit before you will be able to reserve your date for New Student Registration.
Registration materials are mailed to all admitted students beginning in February. If you are admitted after that time, we will mail materials to you within a few weeks of your admission. If you do not receive registration materials, please call us at 608-342-1033. In your packet you will receive a checklist of items to take care of as well as information regarding the UW System English and Mathematics Placement Test. You’ll also receive a letter with instructions and your unique reservation number needed to go online and reserve your date for New Student Registration. Dates are filled on a first come, first-served basis. Remember that students must take the UW System Placement Test prior to coming to New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage..
Students check in on the ground floor lobby of Ullsvik Hall from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m. A continental breakfast will be available. Click here for a schedule of the day.
(You will choose to attend one day. Dates fill on a first-come, first-served basis.)
Submit your enrollment deposit and contract (if you have not done so already) to the UW-Platteville Admission Office, 1 University Plaza, Platteville, WI 53818. You must have paid your enrollment deposit before you will be able to reserve your date for New Student Registration.
All new students are required to take placement tests prior to registration for classes. Information about the UW-System English, Mathematics, and Foreign Language Placement Test is mailed to all admitted new freshman students beginning in February. Wisconsin residents are strongly encouraged to take the test at a UW-System college or university near home. You can access information about the test at http://www.testing.wisc.edu/. (Out-of-state students only are permitted to take an online version of the test.)
If you miss the regional testing dates in the spring (or miss the online testing deadline for out-of-state students only), you must take the test on the UW-Platteville campus in June or July prior to New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage (or just prior to the beginning of the semester for late registrants). Call 608-342-1033 or click here for information about the Residual Placement Test if you missed the regional test dates in March or April.
All new freshman students are required to attend registration. Instructions on how to register for classes are given during the first part of the day, so you must be there from the beginning to pick up your registration materials and learn what to do in the afternoon when you see an advisor and register for your classes. We are unable to provide individual instruction if a student arrives in the afternoon and does not know what to do. We understand that students (and parents) work during the summer, but now is the time to make college a priority. Most employers will understand and allow the time off if enough advance notice is provided. We are unable to accommodate requests for individual registration times because of vacations, sports, or other family activities.
Presentations covering topics relevant to class scheduling and transitioning to college are made by UW-Platteville students and employees. New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage begins at 8:30 a.m. and continues to 4:00 p.m. The agenda for the day includes the following:
The primary purpose of this event is to register for classes with the secondary purpose of learning about how UWP operates (food, housing, financial aid, parking, etc.). This is the only time we register students in this manner. With the large number of new students coming in each year we cannot register students individually. Consider it like job training--college is your new job, and you need to know the basic procedures to get started. We also want you to meet other students and find out about resources available to you to help you succeed here.
Regardless of your age, you are registering as a new freshman student. As stated in the answer to the previous question, your primary purpose on this day is to register for classes, with the secondary purpose of learning how this campus works. As a non-traditional student, you may elect to attend the sessions designed for family and friends during New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage. We do encourage you to participate in the small group sessions with the Peer Advisors as you will meet students who will be in your classes and you can begin to feel comfortable with them. We strongly encourage you to attend New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage, but if you do not choose to register during the New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage dates, you may register for classes just before the fall semester begins.
If you are unable to (or choose not to) register during the days set aside for New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage, you will register just prior to when classes begin in the fall semester. All other students will have registered before that date, so class availability will be somewhat limited. Call 608-342-1033 to find out about this final registration date.
We will do our best to accommodate your request, but if your requested date is already filled, our options are limited due to the size of our facilities. That is why it is important for you to plan carefully. If there are conflicts with vacations, sports, work, etc., we regret that we are unable to register students on an individual basis.
If you lose your registration packet, call us at 608-342-1033 or email us at advising@uwplatt.edu and request another one. We will mail you a new letter with your registration number so you can access the online reservation process. We will not re-issue that number via email, phone, or fax. You must go through the online reservation process to reserve your New Student Registration date.
You must bring a photo I.D. with you when you register. This could be a driver's license, a school I.D., or a passport.
The fee for New Student Registration is $110 per student and will be deferred to the student’s tuition bill. This fee covers the cost of summer, spring, and fall registration, fall orientation programs, materials, mailings, student staff and meals for the student and two guests. If additional guests would like to attend (i.e., beyond the two guests included in the $110 fee), the cost is $15 per person payable at the time of check-in the morning of the student's assigned New Student Registration date.
We regret that we are unable to accept credit cards for payment. $15 per any additional guests who choose to attend with you (beyond the two included in the $110 fee) must be paid prior to or during check-in the morning of your scheduled New Student Registration date. Cash, check, or money order will be accepted at check-in on the day of registration. You may mail us a check or money order, payable to UW-Platteville, prior to your registration date, if you wish. Send to:
We ask you to use your best judgment in this situation. While we welcome family and friends, the program is not of interest to young children and they are likely to become restless. The guest fee (if bringing more than two guests) is $15 per person regardless of age.
To receive a full refund, cancellations must be made three business days prior to your scheduled New Student Registration date. If you attend New Student Registration, but then decide not to attend UWP, or do not cancel your scheduled date three days in advance, you will be billed for the amount owed.
You have two options for overnight accommodations while you're visiting UW-Platteville for New Student Registration.
Students will be placed with other students; family members will be placed together as space allows. Items provided by the residence hall include: bed linens, pillows, towels and washcloths. Check-in at the residence hall is between 5 and 8 p.m. on the day prior to the scheduled registration date. A check or money order for the amount owed, made payable to UW-Platteville, should be sent prior to your registration date to:
If you prefer to stay off campus, there are many lodging options within and nearby the city of Platteville. For a listing of options, please visit
You should call us at 608-342-1033 or email advising@uwplatt.edu and let us know you will be coming in after 8:00 p.m. We will inform our Peer Advisors who are staying in the Residence Halls to expect you. There is a telephone outside the hall door so you can call the Peer Advisor on duty to come and let you into the building. If you expect to be later than 11:00 p.m., we ask that you make reservations at a hotel.
Parents or family friends are welcome at New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage! They often have questions or concerns that we are able to address in special sessions on Financial Aid, Student Housing, Dining Services, etc. Parents and family or friends will be separated from students early in the day. Peer Advisor sessions and advising sessions with faculty members are for students only. (Please Note: We do not offer a parent program during the registration days prior to the beginning of the fall and the spring semesters.)
Yes. We must anticipate that everyone attending will require the same services and plan food, staffing, services, materials, etc., accordingly. We are unable to adjust the fee for individuals, as we will be billed for these items regardless.
We have never had a student leave registration without a full schedule of classes, regardless of which day they attended New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage. Of course, as classes fill, those classes with less desirable meeting times are the ones that remain open longest. For example, you might wish to take your Psychology class at 10:00 a.m., but the open sections might meet at 8:00 a.m. or in the evening. During the first week of classes, we have "Open Add/Drop" so that you may change your class schedule by adding or dropping classes in consultation with your advisor.
If you are entering UWP with a declared major, you will meet with an advisor from your department. Undecided students meet with advisors from their advising home, which is the Advising and Career Exploration Services office (ACES). The advisor you meet with during New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage may or may not be your permanent advisor within your department. Students are assigned to advisors in their majors prior to Advance Registration for the following semester. Undecided students may see any advisor in the ACES office.
Your advisor will assist you in finding classes. Some advisors may come to the advising session with a set schedule of classes already made up. If they do this, ask them to explain your schedule to you, including which courses meet General Education requirements as well as which courses are in your major. You can access information about requirements in the on-line catalog, located at:
Contact the New Student Registration office at 608-342-1033 to indicate a different major than the one you listed on your original UWP application. On the day of New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage, you may also submit a Change of Major form. If you are changing your major on the day of New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage, please tell us at check-in time so we can change your name-tag and group number. We want you to receive proper advising for the major you have chosen.
Meeting with an advisor is important to be sure the classes you want to take meet departmental or university requirements for graduation. You are not allowed to register for classes without a Personal Identification Number (PIN) from your advisor.
Choosing classes is a very important developmental step for new students. Taking responsibility for the choices you make is critical for your success in college. If parents or others make these important decisions for you, you are not allowed the freedom to become independent. The advising relationship is between the student and the advisor.
You must arrange for the scores from your Advanced Placement tests to be sent directly to UW-Platteville. The web site for AP is http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/exgrd.html where you will find information on how to do this. The results of the AP tests are not sent out until late in July, after the New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage dates. You register for classes based on the information we have at hand--your UW-System Placement Test scores.
Once your official AP score report has been received at UWP and posted on your PASS account (Pioneer Administrative Software System), you can change your schedule by adding and dropping courses. For example: Suppose you took AP Calculus in high school, paid the fee, took the AP test, and feel that you did well on it. We have no official confirmation of your score until we receive your AP report. So, based on the information we DO have, assuming you took the Placement Test, you may register for Calculus I. Once we have your AP scores, and you get appropriate credit for Calc. I, you can drop Calc. I and register for Calc. II. Your advisor will help you with this process.
Results of the UW-System English and Mathematics Placement Tests are given out on the day of registration only. If you do not take the Placement Test during the spring at a UW college or university near you, then you must take it on one of our residual test dates and then register on a New Student Registration--Pioneer Passage day after the test. (It takes one full business day to receive the scores back from the central database.) Here is a link to the UW-System Testing Information Site:
If you have taken classes in either English Composition or mathematics at a college or university and received an acceptable grade for the class, then you are not required to take the UW-System English and Mathematics Placement Test. If you have taken an English course only, then you must take the mathematics part of the Placement Test. If you have taken a mathematics course only, then you must take the English part of the Placement Test. You must have your official college transcripts sent to UWP so we have documentation by the time you register or you will not be allowed to register for English or mathematics. You must contact the college or university where you took your class and request the transcript yourself. Most high schools will not do this for you! If you have additional questions about the Placement Test, please call 608-342-1033 for information.
Students are encouraged, but not required, to take the Foreign Language Placement Test. If you are considering study of a foreign language, you should take the test to ensure the proper placement level in language classes. Students with some high school background in a foreign language may be eligible to receive free retroactive credits for one or more college-level courses. For most students, it is a good idea to go ahead and take the Foreign Language Placement Test. It is offered in Spanish, French, and German.
We do not allow students to repeat the Placement Test. If you think your mathematics placement score is too low, the Mathematics Department offers students the opportunity to take a test-out (for a fee) just prior to or at the beginning of the semester. You may contact that office at 608-342-1741 to sign up for a test-out after registration. If you have questions about your English placement score, you may contact the Humanities office at 608-342-1826.
Contact us early (608-342-1033) and let us know when you are scheduled to report for basic training. We will need a copy of your official military orders. Once we receive a copy of your orders, we will contact your department and have a schedule prepared for you by an advisor. We will then register for you on the first day of New Student Registration. Please note that we do this for students in the military only. We expect you to complete the Placement Test before we can register for you and suggest you take the test in the spring as the majority of other students do. If you are deployed during regional or residual testing, you may be allowed to test online if you are in a location that allows a secure Internet connection and a secure testing facility. This permission is determined on a case-by-case basis for military students only. If you are unable to complete the Placement Test, you must test and register just before the semester begins.
Orientation is held just for new freshman students a few days before the fall semester begins. UW-Platteville, like many UW-system schools, finds that our new students are more successful when they receive detailed information about the campus and the resources available. Whether you live in the residence halls or commute, getting to know other students and feeling comfortable on campus is critical for success. The program is not just exploring campus, there are special events planned for you to help you adjust to this new world. Most students have a great time! IT'S FUN!
Attending New Student Orientation is a choice. You are not required to attend, but nearly all incoming students do attend and enjoy it. We strongly encourage you to do so. (There are no programs for parents during Orientation. Parents usually help you move into your room, then return home as you begin your new life at UW-Platteville.) The web page for Orientation information is located at http://www.uwplatt.edu/admission/orientation.html.