The MKE Scholars program is designed exclusively for students enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, affiliated with an identified pre-college program and/or high school. These programs include All-In Milwaukee, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, Carmen High Schools of Science and Technology (all campuses), Cristo Rey Jesuit High School (Milwaukee), College Possible, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) College & Career Centers (CACCs), Nativity Jesuit Academy, Pathways High School, PEARLS for Teen Girls, St. Joan Antida High School, United Community Center, and UW-Milwaukee/M-Cubed Dual Enrollment.
Our goal is to provide our MKE Scholars students with a network of care and support that encourages their persistence towards obtaining their college degree at UW-Milwaukee.
Will you be a part of our next cohort of scholars?
Next Steps
Prospective scholars should review the program agreement detailing program benefits and requirements. Please verify that the requirements of the program align with your goals for college. To receive program benefits and maintain membership in the program, online submission of the program agreement is REQUIRED.
Program Agreement Benefits Confirmation Summer Bridge 2023 Updates Stay Connected to MKE Scholars
Please Note
At this time we have reached our capacity for our incoming cohort for the 2023-2024 academic year. All students that are placed on the waitlist will be confirmed by June 15, 2023.
Our application cycle for the next cohort, Cohort Nine (9), will open December 2023. All programmatic updates will be made to the website at that time.
Hear from Our MKE Scholars
Contact Us
- Office: Bolton Hall Room 120
- Email: mkescholars-program@uwm.edu
Phone: 414-229-5385
Donate to Our Program
Thank you for considering a gift to the MKE Scholars Program. Your gift of any size makes a difference not only in the lives of our scholars but their families and our dedicated staff. The impact of your generosity supports academic year student scholarships, comprehensive summer bridge opportunities, summer housing, expansion of staffing needs, and year-round developmental and social programmatic efforts.
Because of the growing need for student success initiatives, our program exists to provide an exceptional level of holistic support and care for students as they navigate their collegiate journey at UW-Milwaukee. Your contribution to the MKE Scholars Program will be reflected in the lives of future generations positively transforming Milwaukee and beyond.
Give Online: Click Here to Make a Gift
MKE Scholars FAQ
Please email any questions to mkescholars-program@uwm.edu
No, you do not have to be admitted when you submit the electronic program agreement. You MUST be admitted as regular/conditional admit by June 1st. If you are admitted as a CGS (College of General Studies) First-Year Bridge or CGS Pre-Engineering student, you WILL NOT be eligible to participate as a MKE Scholar.
No, you do not have to have a decided upon major to be a MKE Scholar. Our team and other identified success team partners will work with you to decide on a major once embarking on your UW-Milwaukee journey.
No, there is not a specific GPA or ACT/SAT test score needed to participate.
Incoming scholars are eligible to submit a Program Agreement based on their participation/ official engagement in one of the following high schools and/or pre-college programs: All-In Milwaukee, Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee (Grad Plus), Carmen Schools of Science & Technology, College Possible, MPS College & Career Center, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School of Milwaukee, Nativity Jesuit Academy, Pathways High School, Pearls for Teen Girls, St Joan of Antida High School, & United Community Center.
Yes, to receive all benefits of the MKE Scholars Program participation in 8-week summer bridge program is required.
No, please refer to this link for more information regarding the SSS program: https://uwm.edu/student-support-services/
Unfortunately, dates and times conflict for these programs. Students will have to decide which pairs better with their summer schedule. Please refer to our Summer Bridge information page on our website for our program dates and times for summer. If a student chooses to participate in our MKE Scholars Summer Program, they can still elect to be part of the SSS program during the regular academic year (starting in Fall) along with MKE Scholars Program.
Unfortunately, dates and times conflict for these programs. Therefore, students will need to choose the program that best fits their needs. Please refer to this link for more information regarding the UR@UWM Summer program: https://uwm.edu/our/programs/uruwm/
All fees associated with summer instructional costs, summer housing, summer meal stipend, summer programming is provided at no cost to participants. The value of the summer bridge program is up to $ TBD
Yes, on average more than 50% of our participants maintain part-time employment or external responsibilities while engaged in our summer experience and the regular academic year.
Scholar participants will receive $1000 per academic year for up to four (4) years. This is the equivalent of $500 per semester for up to eight (8) semesters. Scholars are allowed one (1) time to exit and return to continue receiving program scholarship support.
No worries. All we ask is that you communicate with our team that you have made the decision not participate. Until we our team hears from you directly, we will continue to include you in our communication plan.
The 2023 summer dates are from June 26-August 18. You are asked to plan for required engagement: Monday through Thursday from 9:30am-3:30pm.
Prior to summer starting, you will be reminded of the time commitment for summer. With knowing the time commitment in advance, we ask that you plan accordingly to accommodate your MKE Scholars Program and academic responsibilities, in addition to, any external commitments. This includes commitments related to your familial, home, childcare, spousal/partner, special appointments, summer travel plans, and in case of emergency/unexpected event processes. The expectation is that you will treat this experience as a priority.
The expectation is that all participants will live on-campus during the 8-week summer bridge program. There is no expectation for you to live on-campus during the regular academic year (starting Fall 2023) to participate in the program.
If there are unique circumstances that may prevent that, please communicate with us directly. Our team will discuss and communicate directly to you with our decision.
Yes, scholars will be enrolled in actual courses for earned credit. These are graded courses that go towards an official UW-Milwaukee GPA. Ending the summer with a GPA below a 2.0 will result in probation status.
Overall, choosing to join the MKE Scholars Program provides a unique opportunity for a prospective to “get their feet wet” and experience college in real time embedded with strategically chosen components that are useful and meaningful for a holistic college experience.
The first thing to remember is that college is quite different than high school. While the summer bridge program is only a short-term experience for students, it will allow one to test the waters and start to shape the trajectory of their college journey. From experiencing college course expectations, navigating the importance of the instructor and student relationship, familiarizing oneself with campus resources, identifying personal and academic needs, exploring independence and self-advocacy, and balancing competing external factors, you cannot go wrong with choosing to spend 8-weeks with us! You are guaranteed to have at least one key takeaway from the summer!
Let’s not even worry about this so early! Our team will be there to support and challenge throughout the summer. However, we recognize that you may not be ready to embark on the full college experience post-summer. Throughout the summer experience, we meet with scholars individually to discuss progress and next steps.