The Wisconsin Idea in Action: Reflections on FY 2026
Division of Continuing Studies University of Wisconsin–Madison
Expanding access to UW–Madison
Every year, thousands of learners across Wisconsin and beyond turn to UW–Madison to build new skills, explore their interests and achieve lifelong goals. Whether supporting online degree completion, youth programs or workforce development, DCS helps the university connect with and serve these expanding audiences.
A message from Dean Russell
To our UW–Madison community and stakeholders:
As I reflect on Fiscal Year 2026, I am deeply proud of how the Division of Continuing Studies (DCS) continues to work closely with campus partners to advance the broader University of Wisconsin–Madison mission to help ensure the Wisconsin Idea remains a vibrant, modern reality.
By including flexible academic modalities, strengthening career-aligned pathways and fostering statewide access to academic programming, we are opening new doors for Badgers at every stage of their lives.
Successes & fiscal year highlights
This past year brought significant programmatic achievements across our division, expanding our impact locally and globally:
Celebrating 140 Years of summer learning: Summer Term 2025 achieved a record-breaking enrollment of 18,926 students across more than 1,000 courses.
Expanding pathways to learning: Through UW–Madison Online, we broadened accessible degree opportunities in partnership with the Wisconsin School of Business.
Honoring community and access: We celebrated a century of education with the School for Workers, supported safe experiences for over 110,000 youth through our Office of Youth Protection and empowered 247 learners through the UW Odyssey Project.
Setting the tone for FY27
As we begin FY27, our focus remains on cultivating institutional excellence, expanding educational access and creating agile learning opportunities that meet the evolving needs of the modern workforce and student populations.
We will continue to enhance our cross-campus collaborations, refine our administrative systems to support lifelong learner journeys and explore innovative modalities that provide access to a world-class education. By staying grounded in our mission while remaining adaptable to change, DCS is well-positioned to drive positive impact across Wisconsin and beyond.
Thank you to our exceptional staff, instructors, campus partners and UW leadership for your shared dedication to our educational community.
Onward!
Vice Provost for Lifelong Learning and Dean of the Division of Continuing Studies
This program fits perfectly with my major, as I am studying to become an elementary school teacher, ideally in a setting where students’ first language may not be English. Although three weeks may seem like a short amount of time to travel to a new country and participate in an academic program, I can guarantee you’ll learn so much!
From middle school classrooms to mid-career pivots, DCS opens the doors of UW–Madison to learners across every stage of life. Here is how those connections added up in FY26.
Physics of the Impossible [a Badger Precollege class] gave me an opportunity to push myself in ways that I could not otherwise. I learned concepts that you would see in an intermediate mechanics or quantum course and ran through the different subjects you would encounter as a physics major.
Sparking curiosity early. More than 1,750 youth enrolled in a Badger Precollege program, representing 49 Wisconsin counties, 27 states and 20 countries. The program allows learners in grades 5–12 to explore academic and creative interests, build friendships and preview the college experience.
Source: Badger Precollege
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Summer Term undergrads
Expanding classroom boundaries. We helped campus partners deliver more than 1,000 Summer Term courses to a record 18,926 undergraduates in 2025. Students can customize their Summer Term by taking courses on campus or online — and by participating in hands-on learning via research, internships or study abroad.
Source: UW–Madison Summer Term
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visiting international students
Strengthening cross-cultural learning. Our Visiting International Student Program (VISP) welcomed 162 participants to the UW–Madison community. The initiative strengthens cross-cultural learning on campus and serves as an international student pipeline, with 59 former VISP participants returning as degree-seeking Badgers in FY26.
Source: University Special Student Services, FY26 annual report
Driving personal & professional growth
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Continuing Education enrollments
Enriching careers and lives nationwide. With learners from all 50 states and Washington, DC, our Continuing Education programs saw more than 9,300 enrollments this year, serving as a national destination for adults looking for professional development and personal enrichment.
Source: Continuing Education Registration Center, UW-Madison Continuing Education
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University Special Students admitted
Welcoming a world of nondegree students. The University Special Student Services (USSS) office admitted thousands of nondegree-seeking students studying in person and online — including high schoolers, returning adults and visiting international learners — from 55 Wisconsin counties, 43 states and territories, and 42 countries.
Source: University Special Student Services, FY26 annual report
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professional degrees & certificates awarded
Bringing flexible graduate education within reach. We partnered with UW–Madison schools and colleges to help facilitate the award of 1,757 professional degrees and certificates — many offered fully online. These credentials allow working professionals to gain the specialized skills and competitive edge they need to advance their careers while also working and supporting their families
Source: UW-Madison Professional Degrees & Certificates
This [master’s degree] program was set up in such a way that it would make it so easy for a working professional to take these courses. Being flexible, being able to do this from home, it was just very ideal, and I was immediately attracted to it. As soon as I saw it, I just knew that I had to apply here, and I’m so glad that I got in.
Uplifting individuals, families and futures. The UW Odyssey Project served 247 children, adults and incarcerated learners through its free college courses and educational programs, helping low-income students find their voices, overcome barriers and jump-start college degrees. A 2017 report indicates that 75% of Odyssey Project alums pursue additional college coursework and 24% cross the finish line to earn a college degree or certificate.
Source: Odyssey Project 2026 /LEAD Center/Wisconsin Center for Education Research, 2016-2017
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youth hosted by UW-Madison
Creating safe campus experiences. Supporting campus in hosting more than 110,000 youth at activities connected with UW–Madison across all 72 Wisconsin counties, the Office of Youth Protection trained staff and enforced policies to support a positive experience for youth.
Source: Office of Youth Protection 2025 annual report
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years of School for Workers
Championing worker rights. Celebrating a century of pioneering education in 2026, the School for Workers marked 100 years of partnering with workers and labor leaders to build stronger workplaces and more resilient communities across Wisconsin and beyond.
Source: School for Workers, Celebrating 100 Years
To my shock and disbelief, I not only succeeded but excelled in my courses. I fell in love with learning and began to get really immersed in the world of theory and research.
Working with partners across campus and beyond, DCS expands the boundaries of the university community, opening new pathways that redefine what it means to be a Badger.
Creating accessible pathways
A UW–Madison education reaches beyond the traditional four-year undergraduate degree.
Through University Special Student Services (USSS), nondegree-seeking learners — including returning adults, visiting international scholars, high school students, professionals pursuing capstone certificates and guest auditors — gain tailored advising and flexible admission pathways to achieve their unique goals.
One cornerstone of this unit is the Badger Ready program. Designed for adults and military veterans who have experienced a break in their education, Badger Ready gives students a second chance to transfer to the university and complete their undergraduate degrees. To date, 57 students have successfully transferred to UW–Madison after completing Badger Ready, with 38 of these students earning a degree
Opening doors to higher education
Launched in 2022 with a Wisconsin Workforce Innovation Grant, the Prison Education Initiative (PEI) is driving a historic shift in statewide access to higher education.
In FY26, PEI supported 373 students enrolled in for-credit education programs across seven Wisconsin correctional facilities — including 51 awarded associate and bachelor’s degrees — in coordination with UW-Madison’s Odyssey Beyond Bars, UW–Green Bay, UW–Eau Claire and UW–Stout. Researchers in the Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and the UW–Madison School of Education, also supported by the PEI, are measuring the impacts of prison-based education.
By helping incarcerated students earn life-changing associate and bachelor’s degrees, PEI not only expands academic opportunity to underserved populations but also reduces recidivism rates, lowers long-term taxpayer costs and strengthens the economic security and public safety in communities across the state.
2026 Returning Adult Student reception
Empowering Wisconsin’s workforce
As industries shift, we connect UW–Madison’s top-tier academic resources with regional employment needs.
For more than a decade, we’ve partnered with schools and colleges across campus to develop and market professional degrees and certificates in online, in-person, hybrid and/or accelerated formats. (In FY26 alone, UW–Madison awarded 1,757 professional degrees and certificates.) These programs allow working professionals to earn an advanced degree or certificate with greater flexibility.
For adult learners who do not want to commit to a degree program or need more specialized skills and knowledge, we design and administer a suite of noncredit Continuing Education courses, professional certificates and custom training. Courses are developed to meet changing workforce needs, taught by experienced industry experts and practitioners, and fulfill important professional licensure requirements.
By equipping adult learners with targeted credentials and skills — from AI and engineering to leadership and mental health — we empower the Wisconsin workforce to adjust to emerging technologies, pivot to high-growth fields and lead with confidence.
Seven months after graduation, I decided to explore the value of my position in the market and research further growth opportunities. I was lucky enough to receive attention from well-known companies, along with strong offers to continue to grow in the area of corporate finance.
For more than 140 years, Summer Term has adapted to meet the needs of every generation. Summer coursework at UW–Madison began humbly in 1885, when just 14 students enrolled in a single six-week language program, establishing one of the earliest true summer schools offered by a U.S. public institution.
Fast forward to summer 2025, when the university enrolled a record-breaking 18,926 students across more than 1,000 in-person and online courses for more than 29,000 course enrollments and 89,000 credit hours.
Since the creation of DCS in 1994, our team of administrators, program managers and marketers has worked with schools and colleges across campusto plan, coordinate and deliver undergraduate courses offered by UW–Madison from May to August.
Today, Summer Term is a mainstay of student success, providing flexible 3-, 4- and 8-week sessions throughout the summer that Badgers can customize around work, travel and other activities.
It was really good for me to be able to take that hard class in the summer. I had more time to think about my work, get it done and put more effort into it.
Summer Term is also committed to helping students afford rising tuition costs. In summer 2025 alone, around 2,300 Badgers were awarded Summer Term scholarships to ease financial challenges and help students stay on track for graduation, lighten fall or spring course loads, and participate in research and internships.
With a 140-year tradition of innovation, UW–Madison Summer Term has grown into a globally accessible program centered on empowering students to meet their academic goals.
Nationwide, nearly 80 percent of community college students aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree. Still, only about a third transfer to a four-year institution and fewer than half of those transfers go on to earn a bachelor’s degree within six years.*
*Tracking Transfer: Community College and Four-Year Institutional Effectiveness in Broadening Bachelor’s Degree Attainment, Community College Research Center (CCRC), February 2024.
Extending the Wisconsin Idea to working adults
Earning a bachelor’s degree from UW–Madison no longer requires moving to campus or putting life on hold. Launched in 2020 to bring a Badger education to learners across the state, UW–Madison Online helps returning adults and working professionals finish their degrees on their schedule.
To power these pathways, UW–Madison Online partnered with the Wisconsin School of Business — ranked #9 among public undergraduate business programs by U.S. News & World Report in 2026 — to offer three bachelor’s degrees and one certificate fully online:
BBA in Business Administration: Human Resources
BBA in Business Administration: Management
BBA in Business Administration: Marketing
Certificate in Entrepreneurship Fundamentals
UW–Madison Online creates seamless pathways for learners through guaranteed transfer agreements with partner institutions including:
Madison College
Nicolet College
Northcentral Technical College
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Oakton College
Waukesha County Technical College
With dedicated academic advisors and career coaches supporting students from application through graduation, learners can fit demanding coursework into full schedules.
I have a lot more confidence on a personal level. I always felt like I had been ‘behind’ in life as completing my degree was always a goal of mine from a young age, but now that it’s finished, I feel a lot of endless pride to be a Badger.
By building flexible transfer pathways anchored in outstanding academics, UW–Madison Online strengthens regional workforces and fulfills the Wisconsin Idea, proving a Badger education can happen from anywhere.
Building college confidence early
For many first-year college students, stepping onto a university campus for the first time can feel overwhelming.Badger Precollege transforms that uncertainty into confidence by offering middle and high school students an immersive preview of college life, academics and career paths.
Through hands-on summer and online programs in STEM, music, art, leadership and college readiness, Badger Precollege helps youth ages 9–18 develop critical thinking, independence and success strategies well before they begin college. Among the many longstanding Badger Precollege programs is Summer Music Clinic, the country’s second-oldest music camp, which is celebrating its 97th year.
My regular school experience doesn’t offer such advanced or diverse classes. At Badger Precollege, you can really focus on one subject and ask questions to someone who’s knowledgeable about it.
The impact of this kind of precollege enrichment extends far beyond a single summer. According to the 2025 Badger Precollege Impact Report, 86% of participating high school students felt significantly better prepared for college-level academics following their program.
The program also continues to expand access to UW–Madison across the state by removing financial barriers for Wisconsin families. In 2025 alone, Badger Precollege awarded over $370,000 in need-based scholarships to ensure nearly 1 in 4 high school participants could attend.
Badger Precollege is the spark that ignites a journey of curiosity and growth. It’s the place where the next generation of leaders take their first, powerful step onto a college campus. Guided by UW–Madison faculty and staff, experienced educators and artists, Badger Precollege offers a welcoming community for young learners to gain early, accessible college experiences.
IT
Enterprise technology for recruitment & registration
DCS builds and maintains central technology solutions — like Salesforce Education Cloud and Blackthorn — that streamline recruitment, event management and registration for campus partners. By providing a shared IT foundation, we help departments track recruitment efforts and administer events and registrations without managing separate systems.
LEG
Instructional design & digital badges
Our Learning Engineering Group (LEG) partners with departments across UW–Madison to turn ideas into engaging online noncredit courses, digital badges and custom learning tools. From consulting on best practices in online teaching to course design and technical setup, LEG manages the process of building and maintaining high-quality noncredit courses on campus.
CERC
Centralized administration for noncredit offerings
The Continuing Education Registration Center (CERC) handles the operational side of noncredit offerings so teams can focus entirely on delivering high-quality learning experiences. Our CERC team manages everything from customized registration pages and secure payment processing to reporting, Continuing Education Unit (CEU) tracking and learner transcripts.
edX
edX platform management
Managed in partnership with DCS, the WisconsinX initiative helps campus units translate their academic expertise into flexible online learning for a global audience on edX. From free courses to professional certificates and master’s degrees, departments can expand their reach and showcase their innovation.
SMRC
Professional program recruitment
DCS partners with schools and colleges across campus by providing dedicated enrollment coaches who guide prospective students as they explore online, flexible and accelerated programs, from professional certificates to master’s degrees. By delivering tailored support to adult and professional students, we help departments connect with nontraditional learners and grow enrollments.
SMRC
Strategic marketing , recruiting & communications
Our full-service team of marketing and communications professionals partners with campus units across initiatives including Summer Term, UW–Madison Online and Professional Degrees & Certificates. By leveraging data-driven strategies, creative marketing and impactful storytelling, our team helps schools and colleges build awareness, drive enrollments and showcase learner outcomes through web, email, print, blogs, social media and more.
Serving the UW–Madison campus
Did you know that beyond our lifelong learning programs, DCS houses a suite of specialized services to support UW–Madison schools, colleges and programs? From enterprise technology and noncredit registration to enrollment coaching and full-service marketing, DCS serves as the internal hub that powers flexible learning across our university, providing our campus partners with the tools they need to innovate, enroll and succeed.
Thank you
Thank you for partnering and learning with us to expand access to a world-class education and keep the Wisconsin Idea thriving. To learn more about the 130+ year legacy of continuing studies at UW–Madison, visit our history website.
Discover how DCS can support your learning goals or campus unit by exploring our current programs and services.
