Explore UW–Madison Precollege programs

The Growing Early Minds (GEM) program is designed to challenge and engage advanced learners finishing grades one through four. Students will be exposed to multidisciplinary concepts and themes that will feed their curious minds. Each class is small and designed to enrich learning and introduce new areas of interest, helping students expand their knowledge about the world and discover how much there truly is to learn. Social and emotional curriculum components will focus on fostering autonomy, encouraging development of growth mindset, and fostering effective collaboration skills. Course options include biology, engineering, coding, psychology, architecture, and multidisciplinary options.

This program gives students finishing fifth through eighth grade an opportunity to explore their current interests and passions with like-minded peers in a college setting. Students will spend one week taking one accelerated course designed specifically for middle school advanced learners on the UW–Madison campus. This program is designed to engage, intellectually challenge, and inspire young minds. Not only will you explore the area of study in your class, you will have the opportunity to spark your curiosity during on-campus field trips during the week. Course topics include engineering, science, writing, politics, biotechnology, improvisation, computer science, and art.

The University of Wisconsin offers an array of Boys Basketball Camps: Father/Son Camp, Resident/Commuter Camp, Advanced Camp, Team Camp and the Badger Basketball Experience Day Camp.  Headquartered at The Kohl Center, these camps are focused on providing a first-class learning experience using dedicated and enthusiastic staff.  Current Badger coaches will lead the instruction at each camp, with support from current and former members of the Badger Men’s Basketball team as well as visiting coaches and clinicians.

The University of Wisconsin offers a variety of Boys Hockey Camps which are focused on developing the skills of hockey in an enjoyable atmosphere. Current Badger coaches will lead the instruction at each camp, with support from current and former members of the Badger Men’s Hockey team as well as visiting coaches and clinicians. The Team camp will include position practices, off-ice conditioning and post-game recovery, and tournament-format competition throughout the week. The Youth Skating and Skill Camp is a day camp that will focus on power skating, puck skills and small area games.

The University of Wisconsin Soccer camps will provide players of all levels with advanced training activities and playing opportunities that can be used to take their game to new heights. Whether you are looking to improve your technical skills, make your local club or high school team or are trying to advance your game to the college level, the University of Wisconsin Soccer Camps can help you reach your goals. Camps will feature a staff of coaches who have the experience and dedication necessary to help you develop on and off the field.

The University of Wisconsin offers a variety of summer, fall, winter, and spring diving clinics. Since the summer of 2011, Head Coach Anton Slobounov has offered instructional camps and clinics for campers of all ages and skill levels on campus at the UW Natatorium. Training includes both dive well and dry land instruction, tailored for campers to receive the maximum amount of individual instruction.

The 2018 Wisconsin Badgers Football Camps provide players of all ages a first class learning experience. Held at Camp Randall Stadium, current Wisconsin coaches will lead the instruction at each camp, with support from current and former members of the Wisconsin Football Team as well as visiting coaches. Campers will be instructed on the fundamental skills of their selected position.

The University of Wisconsin offers a variety of Girls Basketball Camps: Badger Day Camp, Elite Camp, Team Camp, All-Skills Camp, and Youth Skills Camp. Each of these camps have a different focus that will contribute to player development. Head Coach Jonathan Tsipis and the rest of the UW coaching staff will lead the instruction at each camp, with support from current and former members of the Badger Women’s Basketball team.

The University of Wisconsin offers a variety of Girls Hockey Camps at the home of Wisconsin Women’s Hockey, LaBahn Arena, which are focused on developing the skills of hockey in an enjoyable atmosphere.  Each of our camps will include sessions on power skating, skill development and stick handling, and team concepts for both offense and defense.  Our camps are great for players that are looking to take their game to the next level.

The University of Wisconsin Badger Girls’ Soccer Camps are designed to prepare players to compete and train at a higher level. Sessions focus on technique development as well as teamwork and special team tactics and strategy. An additional area of concentration is the development of positional skills through practices designed to improve positional awareness and understanding. The Girls’ Soccer camps provide an excellent opportunity for girls to enjoy great soccer, meet new friends, and have a great camp experience. Under the direction of Wisconsin’s goalkeeper coach, Tim Rosenfeld, the Girls’ Soccer Camps will provide specific goalkeeper instruction.

The University of Wisconsin offers a variety of softball camps throughout the year.  The softball camps are focused on developing the fundamental, individual skills of softball in an enjoyable atmosphere, as well as providing instruction on game situations.  Each of our camps will include sessions on individual and team concepts for both offense and defense.  Our camps are great for players that are looking to take their game to the next level.

The University of Wisconsin Badger Swim camps provide an enjoyable, challenging learning experience for campers.  The camps focus on swimming all four strokes in the most effective manner with proper technique to maximize efficiency.  Special attention is also given to the training principles involved in successful competitive swimming, which includes dry land training.  Each camper will receive one-on-one skill stroke attention along with help on all different types of starts and turns.  Campers will also have the opportunity to be filmed above and below the water while swimming all four competitive strokes and receiving instant feedback.

The University of Wisconsin Tennis program offers multiple co-educational instructional camps this summer. Please consult each session page for details regarding the target population for each camp. We are happy to offer beginning players the opportunity to advance their skills and highly skilled players the opportunity to take their game to the next level. All camps will focus on individual skill instruction and will expose campers to the Badger Tennis experience.

The purpose of our various track and field camps is to provide quality individual instruction in the techniques and training that are necessary for young athletes to reach their full potential. We are aware that the athletes represent a wide variety of talent, motivations, education, and experience and we are prepared to tailor our program to each athlete’s needs.

The University of Wisconsin Badger Volleyball program is happy to offer an array of volleyball camp opportunities to participants that range in age and experience. We have programs which are intended to attract the interest of young campers to introduce them to the game as well as programs that seek to focus on advanced, specific skill instruction for advanced and experienced players. Under the direction of Wisconsin Head Coach Kelly Sheffield, each of our camps will focus on making better volleyball players in a fun, competitive environment.

The University of Wisconsin Badger Wrestling Camps are designed to provide technical instruction, develop and improve skills in a competitive atmosphere, and prepare student-athletes for the upcoming wrestling season. Camp instruction will be led by our very successful Badger Coaching Staff with assistance and demonstration from current and former UW wrestlers.  Our camps will address all aspects of becoming a better wrestler with emphasis on drill technique, live wrestling, and mental toughness.

Grandparents University is an intergenerational learning experience for children aged seven to 14 who are accompanied by a grandparent(s) or older adult relative(s) who is not a parent. Grandparents University offers a wide range of “majors” taught by UW faculty, staff, and graduate students from disciplines across campus. You and your grandchild will stay together in the same major for the entire two-day program. An adult must accompany each child at all times during the activities related to the major.

Young writers meet in the beautiful setting of the Olbrich Botanical Gardens and use their surroundings as inspiration for writing, in a supportive environment, led by a staff of Greater Madison Writing Project Fellows and experienced teaching of writing. Participants then share their favorite pieces from the week with their families and friends at an evening celebration.

Courses in sailing, windsurfing, and racing for youth from beginner to advanced, designed to teach outdoor recreation skills and support personal growth.

At an ICE Fun with Chemistry camp, campers actually get to do science—they don’t just watch it happen! Through experiments, projects, and discussions, they explore chemistry and science in laboratories in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Experienced staff supervise students in small groups, emphasizing lab safety while communicating fundamental concepts in science and encouraging campers to exercise their reasoning skills.

This program accepts students grades 5-8

Students ages 2-18 whose parents are enrolled in UW Odyssey Project may participate in one of our three Odyssey Junior classrooms. Recognizing that breaking the cycle of generational poverty involves whole families, Odyssey Junior supports children in self-discovery, literacy and expression through writing, speaking, visual arts, music, movement and theater.

Our summer day camp features recreational activities and on and off-campus field trips with partners including Outdoor UW, Babcock Hall Dairy Store, science labs, and more for 11 one-week sessions. We strive to provide a supportive and enjoyable environment for children ages 5-14 where learning and fun go hand in hand. Each participant will receive one complimentary summer camp t-shirt. (Score!)

New in 2023: Rec Well Teen Camp!
Our Teen Camp aims to provide an enjoyable and beneficial camp experience that allows 13–14 year old students to have fun while also developing soft skills. Throughout the summer, this group will have opportunities to play classic camp games, attend field trips around UW-Madison’s campus, engage in team building activities, participate in leadership workshops, plan camp activities for the younger age groups, and more!

Each summer, the Social Media and Adolescent Health Research Team (SMAHRT) hosts the Summer Research Scholars program. This week-long program provides 9th – 12th grade students with the opportunity to conduct their own research project. These research projects are centered on teen health and social media. Scholars will learn different types of research methods, discover a variety of career paths in research and health-related fields and practice their public speaking and presentation skills. The Summer Research Scholars program aims to engage students who may not have other opportunities to engage with topics in research and health-related fields.

The Town Center at the Discovery Building is an exceptional destination for scientific exploration. Several field trip workshops are offered for students in elementary, middle, and high school either virtually or in person.

Saturday Science at the Discovery Building is a regular series that features interactive exploration stations centered around a particular topic. Families and learners of all ages are invited to explore hands-on science fun during this free drop-in event, which generally is held from 10 a.m. until noon on the second Saturday of each month, either virtually or in the Town Center of the Discovery Building.