Revised: November 11, 2022
I. System Policy
It is the policy of the UW System to encourage interinstitutional, intercluster agreements involving a degree/major where such cooperative academic programming between two or more institutions will:
- Enhance the quality of, or access to, academic programs available to students in a locality;
- Reduce costs and result in increased efficiencies in registration, billing record keeping, and related administrative procedures.
To facilitate such agreements, cluster fee schedules for the institution at which the course/program is offered may be applied.
II. Background
Cooperative academic programming involving the facilities, faculties, and support services of more than one UW institution can be an advantage to students. In most instances, these arrangements involve the offering of courses sponsored by one institution on the campus of another institution and the use of faculty from one or both of those institutions in providing instruction in such courses. Such programs can, however, result in inconvenience to students and costly administrative procedures if present policy with respect to registration, fee schedules, CDR reporting, and faculty load record keeping is applied. Among such policies are: (1) double registration procedures for students taking courses sponsored by two institutions; (2) price competition when courses sponsored by a Doctoral Cluster university are offered on a University Cluster campus at higher fees than courses sponsored by the University Cluster institution; and (3) costly manual procedures of record keeping and reporting for all participating institutions.
In the interest of encouraging inter institutional, intercluster cooperative programming, this General Administrative Policy Paper authorizes UW System institutions to negotiate cooperative agreements under which standard fee policies and procedures for specified academic programs may be amended.
III. Standard Practice with Respect to Fee Schedules and Related Administrative Procedures
Sponsorship of a course and institutional affiliation of the instructor determine credits for CDR and faculty load, respectively, under standard practice within the System. The fee collected is a function of the institution sponsoring the instruction regardless of the location of the classroom in which the course is taught. Standard policy applies to all cooperative academic programming in the UW System in the absences of approved, negotiated, special agreements.
IV. Permissible Amended Practice with Respect to Fee Schedules and Related Administrative Procedures
By special agreement between two or more UW institutions. and with the approval of the System Academic Vice President, in consultation with the Vice President for Finance and Administration, standard practice with respect to fees charged for courses that are part of cooperative academic programming may be amended. In such instances, the fee schedule applying at the host institution may be applied to all courses taught at that institution as part of the approved cooperative program, regardless of cluster institutional sponsorship or affiliation of the instructor. In like manner, the host institution may agree to provided all administrative services attending such programming.
V. Parties to Negotiated Agreements
Agreements to facilitate cooperative academic programming, with special fee and administrative adjustments, may be developed by two or more institutions within the UW System. Such agreements must be approved by the Chancellor at each participating institution and by the System Academic Vice President, in consultation with the System Vice President for Finance and Administration.
VI. Content of Negotiated Agreements
The content of negotiated agreements for cooperative academic programming, with special course fees and administrative adjustments, should include, as appropriate, provisions addressed to the following concerns:
- Name of the specific academic major or degree upon which the negotiated agreement focuses.
- Names and numbers of courses being taught under cooperative arrangements.
- Agreements as to assignment of instructors to courses that are part of the cooperative agreement.
- Registration procedures for students enrolled in the program.
- Arrangements for record keeping, including transcripts.
- Fees to be charged.
- Arrangements for payment of segregated fees.
- Financial arrangements between cooperating institutions.
- Reporting arrangements with respect to CDR and faculty load credits.
- Arrangements concerning academic support service.
VII. Eligibility for Special Arrangements
It is intended that the special arrangements to amend standard policy are to apply only to instances where substantial cooperative programming focusing on a specific degree or major and involving two or more institutions is involved. Agreements should be negotiated and submitted for System approval only when specific courses leading to a discrete major or degree at an institution in on cluster, and negotiated as part of a cooperative program, are taught on the campus of an institution in the other cluster.
VIII. Procedural Guidelines
Following negotiation of an agreement, with provisions as stated in paragraph VI, the proposed agreement should be submitted for approval to the System Academic Vice President. Upon affirmative written approval by the Academic Vice President, in consultation with the Vice President for Finance and Administration, standard procedures with respect to the charging of fees and related administrative practices may be suspended and the amended fee structure applied.