Through Wisconsin’s Early College Credit Program (ECCP), qualified high school juniors and seniors may apply for admission to UW–Madison as a University Special student to enroll in up to two courses per term for which they may earn high school credit, post-secondary credit, or both.
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What is the Early College Credit Program (ECCP)?
Wisconsin’s Early College Credit Program (ECCP) is available to Wisconsin public and private high school juniors and seniors for fall, spring, and summer terms. Under ECCP, the cost of tuition for approved courses is shared among the school district or private school, the state, and in some cases the students.
Qualified high school juniors and seniors taking ECCP classes at UW–Madison are admitted as University Special students. They are permitted to take up to two (2) online, blended, or in-person courses per term.
Eligibility requirements
- Be a high school junior or senior with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.000 (overall and in the most recent semester).
- Attend a Wisconsin public or private high school.
- Have support for your academic plan from your high school guidance counselor and district.
Application process
Complete these steps for each term you plan to enroll
Talk with your high school counselor
Check in with your high school counselor to obtain the ECCP agreement form
Search for courses
Use the Public Class Search to find UW–Madison courses of interest
Complete the ECCP form
Complete the ECCP agreement form and submit it to your high school counselor by:
- February 1 for summer courses
- March 1 for fall courses
- October 1 for spring courses
Apply as a University Special student
After receiving ECCP approval from your district, submit the UW–Madison University Special student application
by:
- May 15 for summer/fall term
- December 1 for spring term
Submit your ECCP agreement form and most recent high school transcript to highschoolcredit@dcs.wisc.edu, or as an attachment on the UW–Madison University Special student application by:
- May 15 for summer/fall term
- December 1 for spring term
Wait for admission decision
Once all materials are received, UW–Madison will notify applicants of their admissions decision via email within 1 to 2 weeks.
Enrollment is not guaranteed
Your ECCP application does not guarantee enrollment at UW–Madison. Even if you are admitted to UW–Madison under ECCP, enrollment will depend on whether or not your approved course is open at the time of your enrollment. Please work with your high school counselor to create a back-up plan should your course be full come enrollment time. Degree-seeking undergraduate students have priority for enrollment in classes.
Important enrollment and tuition information
Tuition bill
Even as an ECCP student enrolled in an approved course, you will see a tuition bill in your Student Center financial tab. As long as you are enrolled in an approved course, you will not need to pay tuition. You may receive one or more notifications from the UW–Madison Bursar’s Office before they post your school district’s payment to your records. This is due to the delay in the third-party billing process.
Approved vs non-approved courses
You must enroll for the course that was approved on your ECCP form. If this course is closed or you want to enroll in a different course, that course MUST be approved by your school district. If you are not enrolled in an approved course, you will be responsible for 100% of the tuition and related course fees.
Orientation
First semester High School Special students must complete a mandatory orientation in order to enroll in their course. Information about the orientation will be sent to students upon admission.
If you drop a course
If you choose to drop your UW–Madison course and do so after the 100% refund period, you will be responsible for the payment of the remaining tuition and fees.
Before applying, please consider
Enrolling in a college course at UW–Madison as a high school student is not to be taken lightly—it’s a big commitment and requires a lot of responsibility. Please carefully consider if taking a class at UW–Madison is right for you at this time. Review the following items to get a better understanding of what it means to be a High School Special student.
Commute time
Depending on where your high school is located, getting to and from campus can take a considerable amount of time. Parking is often hard to find so you will need build in time for finding a spot (if you intend to drive) and getting to your class from your parked car. Most courses involve both lecture and discussion and/or lab sections which may meet at different times of day so you’ll want to factor this in as well.
Enrollment not guaranteed
High school University Special students are in the last group of students to enroll in courses; priority is given to degree-seeking students even when enrolling from a wait list. Final enrollment status may not be determined until after the first week of classes. There is no guarantee you will be able to get a spot in a class.
Final exams
Final exams are usually scheduled outside of regular class time.
UW–Madison transcript
As an enrolled high school student you earn university credit and establish a permanent UW–Madison record. The GPA earned from coursework completed as a high school University Special student would be applied to your undergraduate GPA should you attend UW–Madison as a degree-seeking student in the future.
Courses taken as a University Special student become part of the permanent University record and may affect subsequent admission to post-secondary institutions. A poor or incomplete grade could have a negative impact on a future admission decision.
Rights and responsibilities
Once enrolled, you have all the rights of University students as well as the responsibilities including meeting deadlines for enrollment, adding and dropping courses, and withdrawing. The Course Search and Enroll app has deadline information. For questions regarding University Special student policy, contact ACSSS.
Meetings outside of class
Some courses require student group meetings outside of class time which may include evenings. If you have other evening activities and/or live a considerable distance from campus, you’ll want to keep this in mind when deciding if taking a class will work for you.
Certain courses rarely available
Due to high demand from degree-seeking students, the availability of certain courses is limited. Languages, computer science, and sciences are a few examples of the types of classes that are often in high demand from degree-seeking students.
Grades
Enrolled high school students are expected to fully participate in classes and are graded on par with their undergraduate classmates.
Placement tests
For language placement testing, see Languages at UW–Madison. You may also need to work with advisors in the math or foreign language departments to determine the correct placement based upon previous coursework you may have had.
Student privacy rights
Student Privacy Rights (FERPA) rules apply to ALL University students. Communication is expected from students (not parents), and is restricted by law in regards to student record, including course schedule. This includes communicating with faculty, teaching assistants, advisors, and deans.
Resources/Advising
Resources
UW–Madison has a plethora of resources for students. While not a comprehensive list, we provide resources we think will be helpful to you as a high school student, including academic support, study skills, accommodations for disabilities, transportation, textbooks, and more!
Advising and dean’s office
Adult Career and Special Student Services is your advising and dean’s office while enrolled as a University Special student in ECCP. Please reach out to your advisor, Stacy Iruk, with questions.