University of Wisconsin-Madison Precollege Summer Arts Clinic

Any student completing grades 9 to 12 can sign up, from complete beginners to experienced dancers, actors and artists. Badger Precollege, the University of Wisconsin–Madison's precollege office, asks arts registrants for no grade report, essays or other documents, unlike its academic high school programs, so signing up comes down to choosing your courses and paying the fee.

International students can come, but anyone who isn't a US citizen or permanent resident needs a B-1/B-2 visitor visa. Badger Precollege suggests applying by the beginning of April to leave 8 to 10 weeks for an embassy interview. It can't advise on visas, so check the process and fee with the US Department of State.

What you make depends on the courses you choose, and on Saturday morning each course gives you the chance to perform or exhibit it. Badger Precollege hasn't published the 2027 courses yet, but the 2026 list shows what to expect: a small-scale architectural pavilion designed to work as a chair, clothes hanger or bookshelf, streetwear made from second-hand textiles and shown in a fashion show, and a wearable mask with a short artist statement that becomes part of a group installation. Dance offered contemporary, modern and ballet, theater covered acting, Forum Theatre and design for theater, and visual art included watercolor.

Badger Precollege presents the week as a way to build an arts portfolio for college applications, and students also learn about the college application process. A week's work gives you a starting point for a portfolio rather than a finished one.

Courses are taught by arts educators and professionals from UW–Madison and around the country, and the program runs in partnership with the UW–Madison Division of the Arts. The instructors Badger Precollege lists include Roya Naamipouran on architecture models, Robyn George and Ian Vailliencourt on streetwear and sustainable style, Evie Henriksen on Pilates and modern dance technique, Stephen Tabor with Actors Lab 360, Audrey Standish with Young Playwrights Bootcamp, Roberto Torres Mata on screen printing and Arje Wilson on theatrical design.

Several of those courses aren't on the 2026 list, so take the lineup as a sign of the range rather than a promise of who teaches in 2027. Badger Precollege says many of its instructors come back year after year.

Staying on campus costs $1,450 in total, which is $1,375 residential tuition plus the $75 application fee. Commuting costs $950, made up of $875 tuition and the same fee. You pay the fee when you register and won't get it back, and Badger Precollege bills the rest, which is due by 1 June 2027. Lunch is in Gordon Commons, a cafeteria-style university dining hall. Travel to Madison is extra, which matters most for families who live out of state.

Badger Precollege has a limited pool of need-based scholarships, full and partial, which it awards in April. To be considered, your registration and all scholarship materials have to be in by 1 April 2027. Wisconsin students who qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch fill in a scholarship form signed by their school and may get a full award, and they can contact the program if the $75 fee is a problem. Other families send the first page of their latest US 1040 tax return, along with a note about any hardship the return doesn't show. Out-of-state students can get up to 50% of tuition, and international students can't get a scholarship at all. A partial award leaves you paying the balance.

If you cancel, how much you get back depends on how close to the start you withdraw. If Badger Precollege cancels a course and no alternative suits you, it refunds tuition minus the application fee.

Each residential student is assigned a resident 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. Badger Precollege says trained staff supervise students at all times. Every adult working with minors has a criminal background check every two years, program staff are trained in CPR, first aid, mandated reporting and youth mental health first aid, and university policy bars one-on-one contact between an adult and a student. The full details are in its commitment to youth safety.

Health care, including medication, is handled by University Health Services Camp Health, which sends a CampDoc health form in April or May. If you fall ill, a parent or guardian has to collect you within 24 hours if you're staying on campus or within 2 hours if you commute.

A student who catches a contagious illness during the week is normally withdrawn, and Badger Precollege gives no refund once the program has started, even for illness.

You sign up through Badger Precollege's online registration, and arts registrants don't need to send any other documents.

1. 1

   Once Badger Precollege publishes the 2027 courses, decide which art forms to take, whether that's one or several.

2. 2

   From 12 January 2027, log in and complete the online registration, choosing your courses and paths when prompted.

3. 3

   Submit it with the $75 application fee, and you'll get an email confirming it straight away, with next steps to follow by email.

4. 4

   If you want a scholarship, register and send your scholarship documents by 1 April 2027.

5. 5

   Everyone else has until 15 May 2027 to register.

6. 6

   Pay the remaining fees by 1 June 2027, and fill in the CampDoc health form when its email arrives in April or May.