The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents Nov. 19 approved two policy documents established in the 2025 Wisconsin Act 15, regarding general education requirements and teacher workloads, according to an update from UW News.

The proposed policy document regarding UW general education requirements aims to define the Core General Education Requirements for Universities of Wisconsin and the way they transfer between the different universities, according to the Board of Regents meeting notes. 

The Board of Regents established that the requirements would comprise six broad categories with a minimum of 10 courses and 30 to 36 credit hours, according to the meeting notes. 

The policy prioritizes ease of transferring credits between UW schools, saying that a student who has completed their general education requirements at a sending UW will be deemed as completing them at the receiving institution. Act 15 and the resulting policy document from the Board of Regents will also require faculty and instructional academic staff to teach a minimum of 12 credits each academic year, according to UW News.

 Wisconsin Act 15 was first approved by the Wisconsin State Legislature July 3, aiming to amend a state statute and make changes to the UW System, according to UW Systems. The act will go into effect Sept. 1, 2026, according to UW News. 

The policies will soon be sent to the Joint Committee on Employee Relations for consideration, according to UW News. UW and other institutions will then create or revise policies to align with the new Board of Regent requirements, according to UW News.