University of Wisconsin–Madison
What UW–Madison says
Exact quotes from UW–Madison’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Canceling your enrollment means that you are dropping all of your classes before the first day of the classes’ sessions.
— registrar.wisc.edu ↗Simply drop all your enrolled courses by 11:59 p.m. the day before the first day of the session.
— registrar.wisc.edu ↗Reentry students are those who have not been enrolled in courses for a term or more (excluding summer).
— admissions.wisc.edu ↗The admissions process for reentry students is automatic and may take up to two business days to be reflected in your Student Center.
— admissions.wisc.edu ↗Simply drop all your enrolled courses by 11:59 p.m. the day before the first day of the session.
— registrar.wisc.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- UW–Madison appears to have no leave; you cancel enrollment and later file a reentry application.
- To cancel, it looks like dropping all classes before the first day; ask your registrar.
- Reentry seems needed after any missed fall or spring term.
- Reasons accepted: no leave request needed (Reentry application (automatic) to return).
- Time away allowed: Reentry after 1 term.
- Classes start Jan 19.
Before you decide
Check on the following…
- Will my spot be held?Check how long your school keeps your place and whether you have to apply to come back.Ask: Registrar
- Will I graduate later?A term off can push back your graduation. Ask which required classes only run in the spring.Ask: Academic advisor
- Is there a deadline to ask?Some schools want your leave request before January. Find out the exact date and the form.Ask: Dean’s office or registrar
- What happens to my scholarships and aid?Ask whether your scholarships and grants pause while you’re away or end, and what you need to do to get them back.Ask: Financial aid office
- When would I have to start repaying loans?Student loans usually stop being deferred when you’re not enrolled. After a short grace period, often six months, payments can start.Ask: Financial aid office
- Will I still have health insurance?A student health plan usually needs you to be enrolled. Make sure you’re covered from January to April.Ask: Student health office
- What about my housing?Ask whether you can leave your housing contract without a penalty and whether you’ll get housing when you come back.Ask: Housing office
- I’m on a student visa. Does this affect it?For F-1 students, not enrolling usually ends your visa status. Talk to this office before anything else.Ask: International student office
Hackathon
Student founder community
Entrepreneurship center
Hard-tech team
- Wisconsin Racing ↗UW–Madison Formula SAE team.
- Wisconsin Robotics (Mars Rover Team) ↗UW–Madison Mars rover team; the site shows no recent dates, so check it's active.
Why 72
Spend the winter building. Southbound runs Jan 11 to Apr 11, 2027 in Miami. Acceptance is rolling.
What we could find (checked Oct 22, 2026). Not final: confirm dates and aid with your school before you act. Source pages look current for 2026–27. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.