University of Wisconsin-Madison Precollege Accelerated Learning Program (ALP)

Every weekday has a morning class, an afternoon class and a required study session that closes out the academic day, which is how ALP fits about 68 hours of teaching into two weeks. Outside class, residential students get some free time to recharge, but something is planned every night, from bonfires, movie nights and team competitions to sports on campus fields and outings to Observatory Hill or the state capitol. Most events are optional, although a few 'Mandatory Fun' activities are built in to bring the group together.

Weekends start later and bring staff-led outings around campus and Madison, such as kayaking, shopping or an art class. There's also an optional weekend day trip, with options such as the Milwaukee Zoo, a Brewers game, a Wisconsin Dells waterpark and shopping in downtown Chicago, which costs extra and is booked after you're admitted. Commuters take part in all the daytime classes and activities and go home at the end of each day.

Not on its own. ALP courses are non-credit, and at the end each student gets a grade report showing the course description, an overall grade and instructor comments. Badger Precollege says the roughly 68 instructional hours are comparable to half a high school credit, but only your own school or district decides whether to grant it, so ask before you enroll.

International students may be able to earn U.S. high school credit through Forward International Academy, a Wisconsin-based high school that works with the program, by filling in its interest form.

ALP describes its typical student rather than setting hard cutoffs. Students who take part usually take advanced classes, have done well in subjects related to their first-choice course, hold a 3.2 or higher unweighted GPA or equivalent and can show real interest in that course. Some courses list recommended prerequisites, such as Biology I and Chemistry I for forensic science, and if your transcript doesn't make your readiness obvious you can use your essays or extra materials to show it.

You'll need two essays, written or recorded as video, and an unofficial transcript covering every year of high school including the current semester. Ninth graders without a transcript can send report cards instead, and homeschooled students can send work samples or a recommendation from an adult who knows them. Optional extras include a third essay, test scores such as the SAT or ACT, or recommendation letters. International applicants also need at least intermediate English, shown by a score of 80 on the TOEFL or 6.5 on the IELTS English tests. Without a test score, you can judge your own English and apply if you're comfortable studying in it, and you can ask for a phone or video interview with staff if you'd like help deciding. We couldn't find figures for how many students apply or are admitted.

• Essay 1

  Why you chose the course, including a specific topic or idea in it that grabs you and what you want to learn.

• Essay 2

  An achievement, experience or moment that helped you grow and changed how you see yourself or others.

• Essay 3 (optional)

  Any essay you like, including one you've already written for something else.

A residential place costs $4,500, which covers the course, a shared dorm room and all meals in the dining hall. Commuters pay $2,650 for the daytime program, and international students pay $4,800 with housing and meals included. Every applicant also pays a $100 application fee that is never refunded. The optional weekend day trip costs extra, as do travel to Madison and, for international students, the U.S. visitor visa.

Badger Precollege bills tuition in two halves, due 15 May and 1 June ahead of the July session. Wisconsin residents who get free or reduced-price school lunch can apply for a full scholarship with a form signed by their school, and families who don't qualify for that, including those outside Wisconsin, can apply for a partial scholarship of up to half of tuition by sending the first page of their latest tax return. International students can't get a scholarship. Aid money is limited and handed out on a rolling basis until it runs out, and the most recent scholarship deadline was 1 April 2026, a month before applications closed that year, so it pays to send your paperwork with your application. You can also ask in writing for the application fee to be waived before you apply.

If you withdraw, the share Badger Precollege keeps grows as the start date nears, and nothing comes back once the program begins, though it says it will work with families on refunds for illness or injury.

Residential students are supervised by trained staff at all times, and each is assigned a residential assistant, usually a college student or young professional, who looks after about 12 to 14 students and lives in their section of the residence hall. UW–Madison runs criminal background checks every two years on everyone who works with minors, requires training in CPR, first aid, youth protection and youth mental health first aid, and bans one-on-one contact between an adult and a minor. The full approach is set out in Badger Precollege's safety commitment.

Health care, including medication, goes through University Health Services Camp Health, and families fill in a health form through the CampDocs system after admission. If a residential student falls ill, a parent or guardian must collect them within 24 hours, or within 2 hours for a commuter. A student who catches a communicable disease in the first week may be allowed back case by case, but after the first week they're withdrawn. Commuters can travel to and from campus on their own with a parent's permission.

You apply through the online application on the ALP page, and because courses fill first come, first served, applying early improves your chance of getting your first choice.

1. 1

   Pick a course

   Choose your first-choice course and check its recommended prerequisites.

2. 2

   Prepare your materials

   Write both essays or record them as video, get an unofficial transcript and, if you want aid, gather the scholarship form or tax return page.

3. 3

   Apply between 12 January and 1 May 2027

   Submit the online application with the $100 fee, and if you're an international student aim to apply by early April to leave time for a visa interview.

4. 4

   Wait for a decision

   The admissions committee releases decisions on the second and fourth Monday of each month, so depending on when you apply you may wait 2 to 5 weeks, and you may be admitted, conditionally admitted or denied.

5. 5

   Confirm your place

   Admitted students have three weeks to send in their acceptance forms and can ask for a waitlist spot if their first-choice course is full.