UW-Madison Summer Term Home

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Welcome to the University of Wisconsin–Madison Summer Term

Popular Sessions

Early 4 week session: May 17-June 11

8 Week session: June 14-Aug. 6

4 week session: June 14-July 9

4 week session: July 12-Aug 6

The Summer 2021 Course Search & Enroll Guide is now available!

Start browsing courses now

UW–Madison Students

Every student has a unique path to their degree. Earning credits in the summer can help lighten your load in fall and spring.

Other College Students

Learn from prestigious faculty on-campus or online.

International Students

Visit Madison, ranked as one of the best places to live in America.

Precollege Students

High school students can participate in non-credit or credit college immersion experiences at UW–Madison over summer break.

UW Summer Instagram

Learn more about exciting summer opportunities and how taking courses over the summer can be the right fit for you!

Summer Term is an affordable way to stay on track

Summer Term is an affordable way to stay on track for graduation or even graduate early, saving money on tuition, housing and more down the road. Scholarships and other types of financial aid help make Summer Term budget-friendly, too.

You can use traditional financial aid, including federal student loans and grants, for Summer Term. To learn about the summer financial aid application process, visit the Office of Student Financial Aid.

There are several scholarships designed to assist with the costs of Summer Term for undergraduates, transfer students and students who are just on the cusp of graduating on time. Check out the tuition/scholarship pages at summer.wisc.edu to learn more.

UW–Madison’s multiple early start programs all

UW–Madison’s multiple early start programs allow incoming students to take courses in the summer before their first fall semester. With these programs, you can complete degree requirements, earn credit, make new friends and start your UW–Madison journey early!

All early start programs require that you are admitted to UW–Madison and accept your offer of admission. Some programs are only open to students in certain majors, schools or colleges. Program applications are generally open in the spring.

Check out the Early Start page on summer.wisc.edu to learn more about each program.

Need help deciding what program is best for you? The Summer Term staff is here to help! Send us an email at summerterm@wisc.edu.

From the university’s most in-demand courses to

From the university’s most in-demand courses to advanced topics, Summer Term combines flexibility with academic rigor. Sessions are 3, 4 or 8 weeks long. You’ll cover the same material as you would during a traditional semester, but everything moves faster. It’s a quick but manageable pace.

With these accelerated courses, you can dedicate a portion of your summer to academics and leave the rest of your summer open for other plans and opportunities.

After the registrar releases the full course list for the summer, you can find out exactly what dates and times each individual course is available by searching for a course and clicking “see sections” on the top right of the screen.

Enrollment for Summer Term courses begins each yea

Enrollment for Summer Term courses begins each year around late March/early April. Enrollment times are assigned and emailed to each student a week or so before enrollment begins.

Summer term has many different sessions. To check the enrollment deadline for a specific course, search for it in the Course Search and Enroll App and click the “see sections” button on the top right of the screen. At the bottom of the course description is a link for “session dates & deadlines.” There you will find specific dates on when you can add, edit, withdraw or drop that specific course.

Your school/college or major department may have other deadlines related to your courses and degree progress. Please pay attention to communications from your academic dean, your advisor and your instructors about significant academic dates.

Summer Term offers thousands of accelerated course

Summer Term offers thousands of accelerated courses with on-campus and online options. This gives you the opportunity to choose when you will be focusing on academics and when you will have off time to savor your summer.

Summer Term works with departments around October to provide a preview to students on courses that are normally offered over the summer. This gives students a sample of some of the options that will be available. This preview is not a definitive list and does not have information like course dates/times or instructors.

In January, the registrar publishes the full list of courses with dates, times, instructors and important deadlines for students to view and make a plan with their academic advisor. Enrollment for the summer courses begins late March/early April.

Check out summer.wisc.edu to learn more about summer courses and talk to your advisor about how taking summer courses fits into your path to graduation.

You’ve already figured out your major. But there

You’ve already figured out your major. But there’s more you can do to stand out. Summer Term is a perfect time to make progress on a certificate in addition to your degree. Summer Term works with departments to help provide more summer courses that fulfill requirements to complete popular certificates.

In just a few short weeks, you can broaden your knowledge and open up more time in fall and spring to focus on your major. Many courses are offered online — or stay on campus to enjoy Madison in our favorite season.

Summer Term at UW–Madison is open to all UW stud

Summer Term at UW–Madison is open to all UW students, as well as any college student in the United States. Students are invited to take summer courses online from wherever they are or come to UW–Madison and take courses on campus with the option of staying in a residence hall.

College students who do not attend UW–Madison and high school students can work with their campus and the Adult Career and Special Student Services office at UW–Madison to apply to be eligible to enroll.

International students who are current UW–Madison students are welcome to enroll the same way as domestic UW students. Visiting international students will work with the Visiting International Student Program (VISP) on campus.

Check out summer.wisc.edu under “type of student” tab to learn more about how to take courses this summer.

There are many opportunities with UW–Madison ove

There are many opportunities with UW–Madison over the summer that don’t include taking formal courses. Some of these opportunities include:

-Summer Internships
-On-campus employment
-Working in your hometown while you take online courses
-Summer programing on campus
-Exploring Madison during the best season of the year
-Working with Summer Term to provide programing for Early Start programs

Check out summer.wisc.edu to learn more about some of these summer-only opportunities!

There are plenty of opportunities for full- or par

There are plenty of opportunities for full- or part-time employment on campus during Summer Term. Many campus employers provide schedule flexibility that allows students to earn money and make progress on their academics in the summer. The Student Job Center lists summer job openings located at UW–Madison and off-campus in the private and public sectors.

Looking for a volunteer opportunity? Badger Volunteers pairs teams of students with schools, nonprofits and other types of community organizations. Participants volunteer one to four hours each week at the same organization throughout Summer Term, developing meaningful connections with the people they serve. Transportation, training and more are provided.

Volunteer assignments fall into one of three categories—education, sustainability and public health—but opportunities are available for a variety of majors and interests. Visit the Morgridge Center for Public Service to learn more.

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