University of Wisconsin-Madison Precollege Social Impact Leadership Online

Every class is taught live online, so you meet the group at set times rather than working at your own pace. Classes last 90 minutes, either on Mondays and Thursdays from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. or on Saturdays from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m., Central Time, across 13 dates from 18 January to 1 April 2027. If you live outside the U.S., check what those times mean where you are before you commit.

The course meets twice a week for the first four weeks, then drops to once a week so you have more time to carry out the project between classes, and there's homework on top. Two optional work sessions in the middle of the course give you one-on-one feedback from instructors while you refine your plan before launch.

• Foundations (sessions 1 to 4)

  Getting to know the group and what social impact means, then team building and forming project teams, looking at your community through its strengths, and leadership styles.

• Design and implementation (sessions 5 to 9)

  Choosing your issue and a measurable goal, drafting a proposal for peer feedback, planning action steps and promotion, then launching the project.

• Reflection and looking forward (sessions 10 to 13)

  Tracking progress and adapting, communicating results through stories and data, planning how to extend the project, and a final session where you share your process.

The course is open to high school students in grades 9 to 12, from the U.S. or abroad, and the real requirement is English, since you'll need to speak, listen and write in it throughout. Badger Precollege asks for high-intermediate (B2) English or better and suggests a TOEFL score of at least 80, an IELTS score of 6.5 or a Duolingo English Test score of 105. If you don't have a score or aren't sure of your level, you can book a phone or video interview with program staff to check.

You can sign up alone or as a team of two to four, which suits friends, classmates or a club that want to tackle the same issue. Students who register alone still work in a team, because project teams are formed in the second session.

An individual place costs $450. In a team of two, each student pays $375, and in a team of three or four, each pays $325, so a team of four pays $1,300 in all. That covers tuition for the whole course, and since it's online there's no travel or housing to add. You pay at the end of the registration form.

Badger Precollege offers partial and full need-based scholarships to both U.S. and international students. The scholarship form is due by 4 January 2027, and you should wait for the decision before registering, because registering means paying straight away. Registration closes on 8 January 2027, only four days later, so it's worth sending the scholarship form well before 4 January to leave time for a decision.

Badger Precollege's published refund schedule is written for its summer programs, so ask how it applies to the winter 2027 course before you pay.

You leave with a social impact project you've actually launched, evidence of what it achieved using measures you picked yourself, and practice telling that story in the final sessions. Badger Precollege presents the project as something that strengthens college applications and resumes, but that's its own claim, not a college's.

Credit is limited. International students may be able to earn U.S. high school credit through Forward International Academy, a Wisconsin-based high school, after completing the course successfully, and they register their interest with that school separately. Badger Precollege mentions no UW–Madison credit for the course, so treat it as an experience rather than a credential.

You register through the UW–Madison Division of Continuing Studies registration page.

1. 1

   If you need financial help, send the scholarship form by 4 January 2027 and hold off on registering until you hear back.

2. 2

   If you don't have a TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo score, book the English check with staff before you register.

3. 3

   Agree on team size with any teammates so everyone picks the matching registration type.

4. 4

   Complete the registration by 8 January 2027 and check everything before you submit, since you can't get back into the form afterward. Payment comes at the end.

5. 5

   Look for two automated emails and set up your NetID, which you need to get into the online course.

6. 6

   Join the first class on 18 January 2027 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time.