Junior high age students work on science experiments in school classroom setting.

Precollege Academic Campus Experience (PACE)

The PACE program gives students finishing grades 5–8 an opportunity to explore their current interests and passions with like-minded peers in a college setting. Students will spend one week taking an enrichment course designed specifically for advanced middle-school learners. Students may choose to take a class in the first session, in the second session, or participate in both sessions. Scholarships are available.


Engage your academic interests in a college setting. During class, don’t be surprised if you lose track of time geeking out on your favorite subject while facing unique academic challenges. In the classroom, you will become a more independent learner and increase your confidence when approaching challenging academic tasks, both individually and in teams.

By the end of the program, you will develop better time management skills and improve your understanding of yourself, your strengths, talents and areas where you can continue to grow. When you are not in class, be ready to explore different parts of campus, which may further spark your curiosity!

Overall, PACE will help you feel more comfortable and confident sharing your ideas with a broad community of intellectually motivated peers.

Upcoming PACE classes

Daily schedule

Time Activity
8:30–8:40 a.m. Student drop off
8:40–8:50 a.m. Morning meeting
9–11 a.m. First class period
11:15 a.m.– 1:15 p.m. Lunch and recreational activities
1:30–4:15 p.m. Second class period
4:30 p.m. Student pick up

PACE at a glance

Program Dates

July 11–15 & July 18–22, 2022

Apply now for PACE


In person

Grade Level

For students finishing Grades 5-8

Application Opens

November 29, 2021

Apply by

April 30, 2022


$530 per session

Limited financial aid available


UW–Madison campus

Instruction Hours

25 hours per session

PACE was a perfect mix of fun and learning.

PACE participant

How to apply

  1. Look through the course options available and choose your first-choice course for one or both PACE sessions. Please note that applications are reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis and courses fill on a first-come, first-served basis. Early registration will increase the likelihood of being placed in your first-choice course.
  2. Parents and Guardians, please create an account as your student on our application system, Oracle. Please note: If you are applying on behalf of your student(s), please create the registration account with the student’s information in order to ensure Badger Precollege receives the correct student information. Learn how to create an account here: OSM Create an Account Video.
    Registering multiple students? In our application system please create a separate account for each student. If you’d like to use the same email for each account, please complete the steps below. When you create a user account for each student, you can input an email address of [emailname]@gmail.com for the first student and an email address of [emailname]+1@gmail.com for the second student. This will ensure that all communication from the Oracle system will be sent to the same email address. For further support please email Badger Precollege.
  3. Complete the online application, indicating only your first-choice course as your preferred course.
  4. Students will be asked to submit ONE of the following supplemental documents:
    • A copy of a current transcript or grade report
    • A short essay answering the following prompts:
      • Why are you interested in your chosen PACE course topic?
      • Choose an intellectual challenge, an ethical problem, a research question or another societal issue that holds some significance to you. Explain what draws you to the issue and why it is significant to you.
    • A copy of recent standardized test scores (ACT/SAT, PSAT, STAR, etc)
    • A letter of recommendation from someone who has worked with the student in an academic setting

    Students are required to submit one of the above documents. However, students are welcome to submit more than one if they so choose. You will be able to upload a PDF version of your chosen document directly into the application.

  5. Submit the application with the application fee. You will receive an email confirming your submission immediately, then notified of your acceptance decision via email within 3–4 weeks.

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please visit our financial aid page.