Unlocking Your Potential: Summer Scholarships at UW-Madison

Summer Term at UW-Madison presents a unique opportunity for students to accelerate their degree progress, explore diverse subjects, and gain valuable experiences. Beyond the academic benefits, a range of scholarships and financial aid options are available to make Summer Term accessible and affordable. This article explores the various scholarship opportunities at UW-Madison, including eligibility criteria, application processes, and the experiences of students who have benefited from these programs.

The Advantages of Summer Term

UW-Madison Summer Term isn’t just an excellent opportunity to take courses to lighten your course load for fall or spring. It's a chance to delve deeper into specific areas of interest, complete prerequisites, and even graduate early. The summer classroom can take many forms, from an archaeological dig to Bascom Hill or even your living room, offering flexible learning environments to suit diverse needs. In fact, it’s actually less expensive to complete your degree in four years with two Summer Terms, rather than taking a fifth year. Last summer, nearly 1,500 students were offered scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000. Other summer savings opportunities include the Summer Housing Boost, which helps students cover the cost of living in the residence halls while taking courses over the summer.

Featured Student Experiences

Several UW-Madison students have leveraged Summer Term to enhance their academic and personal growth.

Sarah Kopp: A junior taking LEGAL ST 473: Health Impacts of Unmet Social Needs, an in-person service learning course with UW-Madison’s Center for Patient Partnerships. “This learning experience will help me witness firsthand how the social determinants of health affect many individuals and how organizations and policymakers are addressing those determinants,” said Kopp. Service learning also extends to Kopp’s volunteer work at her grandmother’s senior living apartment complex, where she’s donated her time and baking skills for the past five years. Coursework? Check. Volunteering? Yes. Summer fun? Absolutely.
Harry Luo: A student who pursued a research opportunity in his home country of China for the summer. “The opportunity to study at the QPL is the ideal place for me to get started on these endeavors,” said Luo. “I am currently spending most of my time studying the basics of quantum information and quantum mechanics.
Thavon Her: No stranger to UW-Madison Summer Term courses. “Summer classes are nice because I still can focus on other things, such as an internship,” she said. This year, her summer coursework is helping her reach a significant goal: graduation. “My hope is that these courses will help prepare me for more legislative-focused internships,” said Her, who is also working remotely as a campus organizer for The Wisco Project. After graduation, she plans to take a gap year or two to gain more professional research experience in legislation and policy.

Undergraduate Scholarship for Summer Study

The Undergraduate Scholarship for Summer Study is a need and merit-based scholarship awarded to continuing undergraduate students (of any major) seeking financial support to take courses in the upcoming Summer Term at UW-Madison.

Eligibility and Application:

The scholarship is open to continuing undergraduate students of any major.
FAFSA is required prior to awarding decisions for domestic students. Students that are unable to file FAFSA are still eligible to apply and should utilize the open response financial need question on the application to explain their level of need.
Apply for the UW-Madison Undergraduate Scholarship for Summer Study through the WiSH portal.
Applications are due April 5, 2026.
Completed applications are evaluated by a scholarship review committee using the above eligibility criteria.
Award availability and amounts are subject to vary (typically $500-$1,000).
Please note that if you apply for both the Summer Finish and/or Summer Internship Scholarship in addition to this Undergraduate Scholarship for Summer Study, you are not able to receive both/all awards.

Application Questions:

The application includes questions designed to assess your academic goals, financial need, and reasons for pursuing Summer Term coursework. Examples of these questions include:

Read also: UW-Madison Tuition Requirements

Since entering college, have you previously taken courses for credit in the summer at UW-Madison or elsewhere?
Is participating in summer coursework at UW-Madison necessary for you to complete your undergraduate degree in four years?
What courses do you intend to take at UW-Madison this summer?
Please describe your goals for this summer.
Reflecting on a quote by Albert Einstein, describe how you plan to apply this philosophy to your Summer Term coursework.
Describe any significant financial circumstances that are not reflected in your FAFSA.

Summer Internship Scholarship

This scholarship is intended for students who are participating in unpaid internships for credit over the summer. We are here to help support you and your learning journey with this Summer Internship scholarship!

Eligibility Criteria:

Accepted to an internship taking place in the United States that is 15 hours/week minimum and lasts a minimum of 6 weeks.
Cannot be an internship for post-graduation.
Internships must be unpaid, meaning students will not receive a salary or hourly wage for their internship work.
Talk with your advisor to make sure you’re eligible.
during the summer.
The internship should be 15 hours/week minimum; 6 weeks minimum.
Have a position description and letter of certification (offer letter) ready to submit.

Selection Process:

Completed applications are evaluated by a scholarship review committee using the above eligibility criteria.
Applicants should have well-written and thoughtful responses to the application questions.
Funding is limited.
Financial need will be taken into consideration during the selection process.
FAFSA required prior to awarding decisions for domestic students.
Scholarship award amounts of up to $1,500 will be available.

Automatic Summer Tuition Award for Spring Transfer Students

UW-Madison offers an automatic tuition award to eligible spring transfer students who enroll in Summer Term.

Eligibility:

Undergraduate spring 2026 transfer students who enroll in Summer Term 2026 courses by June 8, 2026 are eligible to automatically receive an award.
All spring 2026 transfer students are eligible to receive the award, but must maintain satisfactory academic progress.
Fall 2026 transfer students are not eligible for this award and should apply to one of our other scholarship opportunities.

Award Details:

Students who pay the resident or Minnesota tuition rates will receive up to $500 toward the cost of Summer 2026 resident tuition and fees.
The award is only available for use in Summer 2026, and cannot be applied to a previous or future semester.

Additional Scholarship Resources

UW-Madison provides a comprehensive scholarship search tool called WiSH (Wisconsin Scholarship Hub) to help students find and apply for scholarships.

WiSH Features:

A general application that allows students to be considered for a wide range of scholarships.
Search filters to find scholarships based on specific criteria, such as major, interest, or background.
Information about scholarship applications, deadlines, eligibility criteria, award amounts, and donors.

Scholarship Selection Framework:

UW-Madison scholarships consider students for awards using a holistic framework that may include, but is not limited to, academic achievement, past and potential contributions, service and leadership, and financial need.

Scholarships for Incoming Students

Most scholarships for incoming students are automatically offered by your School/College based on your application for admission to UW-Madison. However, there are also some program-specific scholarship applications that you may complete if you are eligible and interested. Those applications typically open in October-November and have deadlines in early February, so don’t wait until you know your admission status to apply and be sure to log in to WiSH regularly!

Read also: GPA Insights: UW-Madison

Scholarships for International Students

While there are not scholarships specifically for international students at UW-Madison, international students are eligible for many scholarships at UW-Madison. Like all students, WiSH allows international students to explore the scholarships they are eligible for, be considered for those with automatic offers when their NetID is activated, and apply to any scholarships that require additional information for consideration. For more information on international student scholarships, please see our Scholarships page.

Summer Housing Boost

Other summer savings opportunities include the Summer Housing Boost, which helps students cover the cost of living in the residence halls while taking courses over the summer.

Overcoming Financial Barriers

In a 2015 survey, your peers said they were interested in taking advantage of Summer Term but weren’t able to enroll because they lacked funds for tuition. UW-Madison recognizes these financial barriers and offers a variety of resources to help students afford Summer Term.

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