The most popular sessions are 3 weeks, 4 weeks, or 8 weeks long. They’ll cover the same material as they would during a traditional semester, but everything moves faster. It’s a quick but manageable pace.

There are many reasons to take summer courses! Students take summer courses to lighten their course load for fall or spring, focus on a challenging course, check off some general education requirements, graduate sooner, etc. Summer Term is not just for students who are struggling.

Your student can talk to their advisor about summer courses and how Summer Term can help them reach their goals.

Students can use traditional financial aid, including federal student loans and grants, for Summer Term. The Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) is available to help your student apply for other sources of financial aid for Summer Term. If you or your student wants to talk to someone about their financial aid, they can call OSFA at 608-262-3060 or email finaid@finaid.wisc.edu.

We offer multiple different scholarships ranging from $500 – $1,500 that are designed to assist with the cost of Summer Term. See our scholarships and aid page to find a Summer Term scholarship that works for your student.

Choose from more than 1,000 face-to-face courses and hundreds of online courses with our searchable summer course list. Browse courses by subject, courses available online, or courses that fulfill requirements like Ethnic Studies. A full and comprehensive list of all Summer Term courses will be available on the Search and Enroll App in early January. Enrollment begins the first week of April.

View tuition and fee information.

UW–Madison online courses are taught by prestigious instructors from the university’s face-to-face courses. Instructors provide a syllabus listing important assignments, deadlines, virtual office hours, and a weekly flow diagram (also known as a weekly rhythm) that illustrates how to structure the week to succeed in the course.

Students should expect to be active participants in the learning process. They’ll learn through tools such as podcasts, mini-lectures, discussion forums, online journals, and multimedia elements. They can connect with the instructor — and classmates — through collaborative documents such as wikis, videoconferencing apps like Zoom, emailing, texting, and a host of interactive activities. Assignments and exams are submitted online.

Online courses also pair well with a summer job or internship.

While many learning support options available during the regular academic year are not open during Summer Term due to less demand, several units still offer support during the summer months. To see a full list of tutoring and learning support resources available in the summer, students and parents can visit advising.wisc.edu/advising-101 and select the “Summer Term” filter located on the “Find Resources” page.

The Writing Center on campus can also help your student with writing assignments whether your student is on-campus or online.

University Housing offers housing for students during Summer Term. Located in the heart of campus, with easy access to bus lines, dining halls, fitness centers, and more, they’re a convenient place to live and get to know other students.

If your student is looking for off-campus housing near UW–Madison, the Campus Area Housing (CAH) office maintains a free, searchable list of rental vacancies, sublets, Private Housing Connections properties, and roommate openings in apartments and houses. The Summer Housing Boost can help students cover the cost of living in residence halls over the summer.

There are plenty of opportunities for full or part-time employment on campus during Summer Term that won’t interfere with your child’s summer curriculum. 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.

Your student’s advisor is a great resource to learn how Summer Term can fit into their academic plans. Summer Term staff are also here to assist you. Email us at summerterm@wisc.edu.