The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Summer Language and Culture program offers 2-week or 4-week intensive, non-credit sessions that will allow participants to improve their language skills and confidence using English while also building their intercultural competence. UWM is an R-1 research institution located in the midsized, midwestern city of Milwaukee. Milwaukee is a diverse city with a rich history and vibrant cultural scene. Situated on beautiful Lake Michigan and only 90 miles from Chicago, Milwaukee is an idea place for participants to deepen their cultural competency and improve their English language skills.
Read more about our Summer Language and Culture program below.
- Interactive English Language Courses
- English Language Project
- End-of-Program Presentation & Certificate
- SLAC Plus Programming
- Cultural Excursions and Experiences
- Evenings & Free Time
- Accommodations
- Meals
- Campus Facilities
- Arrival from the Airport
- Transportation in Milwaukee
- Health Insurance
- Summer 2025 Dates
- Estimated Costs
- Application Requirements
- English Placement Test
- Visa Information
Interactive English Language Courses
Approximately 4 hours per day, Monday-Thursday
Participants will build skills and confidence in their communicative English ability through Reading/Writing and Speaking/Listening language classes. Participants will be integrated into morning language classes with other students participating in the English Language Academy’s summer language and culture program. Language courses will model a variety of teaching methods, including presentation/lecture, games, gap-fills, discussions, experiential learning, content-based instruction, and short writing assignments to expand vocabulary, improve speaking skills, and communicate with confidence. Integration with students from a variety of language backgrounds optimizes the use of English in the classroom and presents opportunities for cultural exchange.
English Language Project
Students will be paired with a fellow student to create a short film (about 5 minutes) about their experience during the summer language and culture program. Each pair will be assigned a theme. Themes include café culture, nature in the city, dorm life, language learning, tourism in Milwaukee, cultural differences, etc. Students will be required to record themselves experiencing the culture within these themes, interview other people, and create a final short film showcasing their experiences. They will be required to create their own story boards, write their own interview questions, do voice-overs, and present their films at a “film-screening” event.
End-of-Program Presentation and Certificate
During the last class-day of the program, participants will present their English Language Project video. After their presentations, each participant will be awarded a certificate of completion.
SLAC Plus
We also offer the SLAC Plus programming for special groups of students. The SLAC Plus programming includes additional classes and field-specific focused cultural excursions in a subject area of choice. For example, we currently have SLAC Plus programming available for engineering, art, and teaching and are looking to explore other subject areas. For these programs, English language courses take place in the morning and the Plus component takes place in the afternoons Monday – Thursday with some cultural activities on Fridays, a few evenings during the week, and on Saturdays. This is only available for special groups and is not available for individual students applying to the SLAC program.
If you are an agent or a school interested in SLAC Plus programming, please email us at el-academy@uwm.edu to get information about a SLAC Plus program proposal.
Cultural Excursions and Experiences
Authentic learning often happens by experiencing a host-country’s culture. Participants will have organized cultural excursions and opportunities to experience American culture in their evenings and weekend free time.
Organized cultural excursions and experiences will include some of these or similar experiences below. The number and type of excursions included will depend on the session selected (2-week program or 4-week program).
- Day trip to Chicago (includes transportation, entry ticket to one attraction, and Pizza dinner)
- Day trip to Madison, the state Capital (includes transportation and Capitol building tour)
- Outlet Mall Shopping Day (includes transportation)
- Outdoor movie night (includes snacks and drinks)
- Summer Lawn Games
- Bradford Beach & Beach Volleyball
- Cooking Class
- Milwaukee Brewer’s Baseball Game
- Lake Day (includes transportation to local inland lake, drinks, and lunch)
- Service-Learning Experience (possible opportunities include – local food pantry, environmental cleanup, animal shelter, elder care, or children’s library)
- American Family Connection (with participant partner): lunch, dinner and/or an activity with a vetted American family
Evenings & Free-Time
In addition to the organized cultural excursions, participants can enjoy the festivals, restaurants, shops, museums, and natural beauty in Milwaukee during their free time. Possible opportunities include:
Accommodations
Participants will stay on campus in the Sandburg East dormitory. Estimated costs include the price of a double-occupancy room in a four-room suite that includes a toilet, a shower, and a kitchen. Single rooms may be available for an additional cost. Self-pay laundry facilities and a convenience store are located in the dormitory facility.
Meals
The program fee includes a welcome dinner on the night of arrival and two meals a day in the residence hall cafeteria, Monday-Friday, as well as a $100 (or $150 for the 4-week program) Panther Cash card for meals at participating campus-area restaurants. Lunch is included in the Lake Day cultural excursion, and a pizza dinner at the famous Giordano’s Restaurant is included on the Chicago daytrip. For meals not covered in the cost of the program, participants can explore the many delicious restaurants within walking distance or a short bus ride from campus. Participants can also purchase their own supplies to cook meals in their dormitory kitchen.
Campus Facilities
The program fee includes access to the campus recreational facility, The Klotsche Center, where participants can swim, do aerobic activity, lift weights, play basketball, take fitness classes, and borrow bicycles and other recreational equipment for independent use. The Klotsche Center is a 2-minute walk from the Sandburg Residence Hall.
Program fees include access to the Student Health and Wellness Center for non-emergency medical care and support.
Students also have access to UWM’s Golda Meir Library, Student Union, computer labs, and campus restaurants and coffee shops.
Arrival from the Airport
There are a few transportation options available depending on which airport you arrive at. The English Language Academy does not provide transportation to individual students. Individual students are responsible for arranging their own transportation from the airport to campus.
Arrival at Chicago O’Hare Airport
Coach USA Airport Express
This shuttle departs directly from the Chicago O’Hare airport and arrives either at the Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport or the Downtown Milwaukee Intermodal/Amtrak station. You can select which destination you arrive at. From the airport station or the Amtrak station, you can arrive to campus from the train station either by a taxi, Lyft, Uber, or a MCTS city bus.
Amtrak Train
Amtrak trains depart from the Chicago Union Station in downtown Chicago. If you arrive at the Chicago O’Hare Airport, you will need to take the CTA subway (metro) from the airport to the Chicago Union Station. Your train will arrive at the Downtown Milwaukee Intermodal/Amtrak station. You can arrive to campus from the train station either by a taxi, Lyft, Uber, or a MCTS city bus.
Arrival at Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport
Amtrak Train
You can take a train from the Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport to the Downtown Milwaukee Intermodal/Amtrak station. Once you arrive at the downtown train station, you can arrive to campus from the train station either by a taxi, Lyft, Uber, or a MCTS city bus.
Ground Transportation Options
There are many ground transportation options from the airport to your destination in the city of Milwaukee including ride share services (Lyft or Uber), shuttle services, coach bus services, etc.
Transportation in Milwaukee
The program fee includes an unlimited bus pass for Milwaukee County Transit System buses for easy transportation from campus to local attractions for field visits, cultural excursions, and exploration during free time.
Health Insurance
At least 2-weeks prior to arrival, participants must present proof of travel insurance that covers the cost of serious healthcare needs while in the U.S. and medical evacuation or repatriation in the case of serious injury or death. The cost of this insurance is not included in this program. Below is a list of possible companies where you can purchase your travel insurance. *Please note: The English Language Academy is not affiliated in any way with any of these companies listed below.
- World Nomads
- Allianz Travel Insurance
- TravelX Travel Insurance
- Travel Guard Travel Insurance
- Insure My Trip allows you to compare different travel companies
Summer 2025 Dates
Two-Week Programs
- July 6 – July 20
- Application Deadline: April 1st, 2025
- July 20 – August 3
- Application Deadline: April 1st, 2025
4-Week Program
- July 6 – August 3
- Application Deadline: April 1st, 2025
Costs
The estimated cost for a 2-week program is $3,590. The estimated cost for a 4-week program is $5,280. These costs are estimates based on one student and are subject to change. The cost of the program includes the following:
- 14 nights (2-week program) or 28 nights (4-week program) in the residence hall in a double-occupancy room (linens included)
- 2 meals a day in the residence hall cafeteria M-F plus a $100 ($150) Panther Cash card that can be used in participating campus area restaurants
- Arrival welcome dinner and welcome coffee & pastry reception orientation
- Interactive English language classes
- Administrative fee
- UWM Student ID
- Access to UWM’s recreational facility and Student Health and Wellness Center
- City of Milwaukee bus pass
- Online Michigan English Test for English course placement
- 12 Cultural excursions and activities which include transportation, entry fees, one lunch and one dinner
The cost of the program does not include visa fees, government SEVIS fee (if applicable), airfare, travel insurance that includes repatriation in the case of serious injury or death, airport shuttle transportation, or personal expenses. This is an estimate of program costs. Prices may change closer to the program’s start date.
Application Requirements
Students interested in applying for the Summer Language and Culture program must complete the following application requirements:
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- Complete the application form.
- Provide English Language Proficiency Scores for a low-intermediate (B1 CEFR) level. Students can choose to complete the English placement test that our program provides as described below, or students can choose to take an English placement test and provide an equivalent B1 score. Once students complete the application form, our program will email the student to provide instructions on how to provide English proficiency scores OR how to complete the placement test provided by our program. Below are the different test options for English placement tests and their equivalencies for a low-intermediate (B1 CEFR) level.
- IELTS – A score of 4 – 5
- TOEFL Essentials – A score of 5-7.5
- TOEFL iBT – A score of 42-71
- Duolingo – A score of 60-99
- Pay the $250 deposit to secure their place in the program. This deposit will count towards payment of the administrative fee listed in the program costs. Once the student completes the application form, our program will email the student to provide instructions on how to pay the deposit. This deposit is only refundable if a student formally withdraws from the program by June 1st. The student must provide written confirmation of withdrawal from the program. The student can email this written confirmation to el-academy@uwm.edu.
*Please note: We need a minimum of 10 participants to run the program. If we do not receive 10 participants for the program by April 15th, applicants will be notified by email of the program cancellation and will receive a refund for the $250 deposit.
English Placement Test
Participants will need to demonstrate an intermediate level of English proficiency to participate in the program, equal to a Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) B1 level. Participants will be placed into their interactive English classes before arriving at UWM by either providing an English placement test score from one of the approved English placement tests listed above OR by taking the Michigan English Test (MET), an online language assessment, included in the cost of the program. If students choose to take the Michigan English Test, our program will provide instructions on how to take the test. Participants will be placed into their Reading/Writing class or Speaking/Listening class based on the results of the MET.
Once students complete the application form and pay the deposit, they will be sent instructions on how to complete the test virtually. Students are required to complete the test without any assistance from translators, dictionaries, other people, or any other available language tools.
Language Proficiency Test Scores & CEFR Levels
CEFR | Duolingo | IELTS | TOEFL IBT | TOEFL
Essentials |
MET |
B1 | 85-100 | 4.5-5 | 50-68 | 5-7.5 | 41-50 |
B2 | 105-115 | 5.5-6 | 69-78 | 8-9.5 | 51-61 |
C1+ | 120+ | 6.5-7 | 79+ | 10-11.5 | 62-80 |
Applying for a Visa
We recommend that students apply for a tourist (B2) visa for our program. However, we accept students with other visas and statuses as well, including:
- F2 visa
- US residents
If you have a different visa than what is listed above and you would like to attend our program, please email us at el-academy@uwm.edu to verify if we accept your visa type.
Please note: We do not accept students already on an F1 visa or who need an F1 visa.