Summer Language Courses and Programs
In the summer, students from around the nation enroll in intensive UW-Madison courses to complete the equivalent of one year of instruction in just 8 weeks. Languages are taught in the summer term through the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI) and through departments in the College of Letters & Science.
Summer 2026 Language Offerings
To enroll in one of UW-Madison’s intensive language classes follow these steps.
- Choose from the languages listed below. Be sure to note the program/department through which the language is offered.
- Enroll for the language course, or if the course is offered through Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes, apply to the program first.
Don’t see the language you’re looking for? The Intensive Summer Language Seminar (MULTI) is a self-directed, online language learning opportunity, ideal for advanced students and learners of rarely taught languages in the U.S.
Offered through the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI), this eight-week, eight-credit course is for students to engage in supported, self-directed language study.
Successful applicants fit one of two criteria:
- Students who have achieved such an advanced level of language proficiency that traditional programs no longer serve their learning needs, or
- Students who are studying rarely taught languages that are otherwise not offered in the classroom.
Find summer ASL offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through Language Sciences
Contact Rebecca Shields, rashields@wisc.edu, with questions.
Offered in the summer through the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of African Cultural Studies.)
Find summer Arabic offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Elementary and Intermediate Bengali offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
Find summer Bengali offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI).
Find summer Burmese offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
Find summer Dari offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
Find summer Filipino offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Find summer French offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the Department of French and Italian.
Contact ugrad@frit.wisc.edu with questions.
Find summer German offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.
Contact Joanna Schuth, jschuth@wisc.edu, with questions.
Elementary and Intermediate Gujarati offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
Find summer Gujarati offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Elementary Hebrew is offered in the summer through the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies.)
Find summer Hebrew offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Hindi offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
Find summer Hindi offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
Find summer Hmong offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
Find summer Indonesian offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Find summer Italian offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the Department of French and Italian.
Contact ugrad@frit.wisc.edu with questions.
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI).
Find summer Javanese offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.)
Find summer Kazakh offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI).
Find summer Khmer offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI).
Find summer Lao offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
Find summer Marathi offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
Find summer Nepali offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Find summer Norwegian offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.
Contact Joanna Schuth, jschuth@wisc.edu, with questions.
Offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
Find summer Pashto offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI). (Offered in the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
Find summer Persian offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Beginning Brazilian Portuguese is offered in the summer through the Summer Intensive Portuguese Institute (SIPI). (Offered in the academic year through the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.)
Find summer Portuguese offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
Find summer Punjabi offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Find summer Russian offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+
Contact Joanna Schuth, jschuth@wisc.edu, with questions.
Offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
Find summer Sanskrit offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
Find summer Sinhala offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Find summer Spanish offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered through the Department of Spanish and Portuguese
Contact Karen Francis, karen.francis@wisc.edu, with questions.
Offered in the summer through the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI).
Find summer Tajik offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI).
Find summer Tajik offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
Find summer Thai offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Elementary and Intermediate Tibetan offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
Find summer Tibetan offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Language Institute (MEDLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+.)
Find summer Turkish offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Urdu offered in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Institute (SASLI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
Find summer Urdu offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI).
Find summer Uyghur offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI).
Find summer Uzbek offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Offered in the summer through the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI). (Offered during the academic year through the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures.)
Find summer Vietnamese offerings in Course Search & Enroll.
Non-Credit Programs
The UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies (DCS) offers non-credit courses for individuals who want to learn a new language or improve their current language skills.
To learn more about non-credit language courses, view the DCS program guide online or contact Christopher Moore at christopher.moore@wisc.edu or (608) 262‑7389.