UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN-MADISON

2 Badger Precollege accelerated learning program students on their computers.

Social Impact Leadership Online

Develop your leadership skills as you design and implement a project that addresses and issue you care about.

Working alongside peers from across the country and around the world, you’ll gain the skills, confidence, and experience to create meaningful change while building a portfolio-worthy project that demonstrates your ability to lead, collaborate, and solve real-world challenges. By the end of the course, you will learn how to:

  • Create positive social impact
  • Evaluate your community through an assets-based lens
  • Develop transferable skills in problem-solving, marketing, team building, leadership, and public speaking
  • Execute an actionable project 

This course goes beyond the classroom. Students leave with more than knowledge. They leave with the experience of creating something meaningful. Whether your project supports your school, a local organization, or addresses a community challenge, you’ll see firsthand how thoughtful leadership can create lasting change.

Please note that students do not need to come into the course with a developed idea of a project to implement. The course includes time to develop your idea!

At a glance

Who

Domestic and international high school students. Must have a high-intermediate (B2)+ level of English

Winter Session dates

January 18–April 1, 2027

Mondays and Thursdays

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CST

Saturdays

9:00 a.m. –10:30 a.m. CST

Registration deadline

January 8, 2027

Cost

There are three registration types to choose from:

  • Three/four-person team, per-student tuition cost: $325
  • Individual student tuition cost:  $450
  • Two-person team, per-student tuition cost: $375
A student smiling as she works on her laptop

Phase 1: Social Impact Fundamentals learning objectives

  • Identify what drives people to initiate changes & self-examination of strengths and weaknesses in initiating change.
  • Investigate and analyze ways to make an impact.
  • Build team-building, leadership, problem-solving and feedback-sharing skills.
  • Examine communities through an asset-based lens to identify issues, potential solutions, stakeholders and beneficiaries.
man working in a lab

Phase 2: Project design and implementation

  • Design action steps toward a meaningful social impact project.
  • Identify strategies for tracking impact and communicating project outcomes.
  • Develop promotional materials to increase awareness.
  • Launch project and address hurdles and adaptations.
  • Evaluate outcomes and develop project extensions.
Two UW-Madison students on the grass outside the Kohl center.

End of Course

  • Complete a real-world social impact project
  • Develop a toolkit of transferable leadership skills
  • Build connections with globally-minded peers
  • Gained experience that strengthens college applications, resumes, and future leadership opportunities
  • Learned how individuals can create positive, sustainable change in their communities

During the first four weeks, students meet live twice per week to build foundational leadership and project-planning skills. Afterward, the course transitions to one meeting per week, allowing more time to focus on project implementation. Two optional office-hour sessions provide personalized feedback and one-on-one coaching from instructors as you refine your work.

For more detailed information on the course schedule and learning objectives, view the Course at a Glance.

Scholarships

We are pleased to offer both partial and full need-based scholarships for domestic and international students. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship, please complete the Scholarship Application before registering for the program. Click here to access the Scholarship Google form. The Scholarship form must be completed by January 4th, 2027.

Credit option

International students may have the opportunity to work with Forward International Academy (FIA), a Wisconsin-based high school, to receive U.S. high school credit upon successful completion of the program. Students interested in earning credit should fill out the interest form here or contact FIA’s Student Service Coordinator, Mighty Lou Tinambacan, at mightyltp@usuniversitypathways.com for more information.

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