University of Wisconsin-Madison Precollege Badger Summer Scholars

Every weekday has a morning class, an afternoon class and a required study session straight after. Once a week the afternoon goes to the Jump Forward series instead, where UW–Madison staff who work with incoming undergraduates cover applications, college essays and financial aid through presentations, tours and Q&A sessions, and academic departments talk about their fields.

Residential students get free time in the afternoon after classes and again after dinner, each with optional activities run by residential staff, such as games, sports in campus gyms and trips to Observatory Hill, the State Capitol or Allen Centennial Gardens. Weekends allow a later start and longer staff-led outings around campus and Madison, which can include kayaking, shopping or an art class. Commuters attend the weekday academic sessions and head home when the day ends.

You leave with a course experience and, in some courses, a finished project rather than a formal credential. Design through Engineering ends with a team redesign project and a final presentation, and the sports business course closes with a project analyzing a problem in the industry. Badger Precollege doesn't mention a certificate, a grade or college credit for the program.

International students may be able to earn US high school credit through Forward International Academy, a separate Wisconsin-based high school, by filling out its interest form, so ask early if that credit matters to your school back home.

A committee reads every application, and Badger Precollege says admitted students typically have done well in courses related to their first choice, hold an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher (or the equivalent), and show clear interest in the subject in their essays. Those describe typical students rather than hard cutoffs, and the committee takes academic growth into account, so you can use your essays or extra materials to explain anything that pulled your grades down.

Everyone sends two essays, written or on video, and an unofficial transcript covering every high school year including the current semester. Students finishing grade 9 can send report cards instead. You can add an optional third essay, test scores such as the ACT or SAT, or recommendation letters. Some courses list recommended prerequisites, such as Biology I, Chemistry I and Algebra I for the veterinary and medical courses, but they aren't required. International applicants need a TOEFL score of 80 or an IELTS score of 6.5, or a phone or video interview with program staff, which has to happen before a decision is made.

The 2026 essay prompts below give you a fair idea of what to prepare, although Badger Precollege will post updated questions for 2027.

• Motivation

  Why you want to take this course, what past experiences will help you succeed and how it relates to your future plans.

• Proudest accomplishment

  One achievement you're most proud of, in academics, sports, hobbies or personal growth.

• Optional

  How you respond when something is difficult and the strategies you use to get past it.

A US student living on campus pays $4,600 in total, which is $4,500 tuition plus a $100 application fee that is never refunded. International students pay $4,800 plus the fee, so $4,900, and commuters pay $2,650 plus the fee, so $2,750. For residential students, tuition covers a dorm room and all meals in Four Lakes Dining Hall. Every course needs a laptop or tablet, which you bring or borrow from the program's limited supply if you ask early. Tuition is paid in two halves, due 15 May and 1 June 2027, and international families should also check US visitor visa costs with the official source.

Need-based aid can bring the price down a lot. Wisconsin students who get free or reduced lunch can qualify for a full scholarship, and other US families can apply for up to 50% off tuition using the first page of their latest tax return, but there's no aid for international students. Scholarship paperwork is due by 1 April 2027, a month before the application deadline, and because funds are limited and awarded on a rolling basis, they can run out before then. You can also ask in writing for the application fee to be waived before you apply.

Withdrawing gets more expensive as the start date approaches, and there's no refund at all once the program begins.

Each residential student 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, and Badger Precollege says trained staff supervise students at all times. Every adult who works with minors is background-checked and trained in youth protection. A University Health Services Camp Health office sits seconds from the dorm to hand out medications and deal with minor injuries, and families submit health details through CampDoc after admission.

Students share a dorm room with a roommate, and showers are communal but curtained. If a student falls ill, a parent or guardian must pick up a residential student within 24 hours or a commuter within 2 hours. A student who catches a contagious illness 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. International students arrive a day early, on 24 July 2027, for their own orientation, with shuttles from Chicago O'Hare and Dane County airports.

1. 1

   Browse the 11 courses and pick your first choice, checking any recommended prerequisites.

2. 2

   If you need aid, get the scholarship form signed by your school or pull the first page of your family's tax return, ready to send with the application and no later than 1 April 2027.

3. 3

   Submit the online application between 12 January and 1 May 2027 with your essays, unofficial transcript and the $100 fee.

4. 4

   Expect a decision on the second or fourth Monday of a month, usually 2 to 5 weeks after you apply, as admitted, conditionally admitted or denied.

5. 5

   If you're admitted, send all acceptance forms within three weeks, and if your course is full, use the form sent to admitted students to join its waitlist.

6. 6

   Pay the first half of tuition by 15 May 2027 and the second half by 1 June 2027.