Enrollment
After being accepted into the CESSI program, students must then enroll in their respective language courses. If you are not a current UW-Madison student, you will first need to apply to the university as a special student. This is true for returning CESSI students as well. The application is online and free. Detailed instructions on applying to the university and enrolling in CESSI courses will be provided to all students upon acceptance into the program.
*Because of the intensive nature of CESSI, students are strongly advised against enrolling in other courses during the eight-week program.
Attendance
CESSI expects students to attend class daily, with the exception of illness and emergencies. If you anticipate ANY scheduling conflict, please discuss this with the CESSI program coordinator in advance. Missing just one day of class is the equivalent of missing one week during an academic year, and can have serious academic consequences.
Given the intensive nature of our programs, students in the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI) are expected to attend every day of class during the 8-week summer term. Students are allowed to miss one day in the first half of the summer program and one day in the second half of the summer program without a grade deduction. Unexcused absences of 2 or more will result in a grade deduction including attendance and participation, missing work or tests, which may impact a student’s final grade. Please see the grade rubric in your course syllabus for an explanation of your course grade.
Excused absences for emergency circumstances will be reviewed on an individual basis. Please contact your instructor as soon as possible if you will be absent from class.
For students and employees seeking information about COVID-19, including what to do if you have symptoms, visit the University Health Services COVID-19 page.
CESSI follows UW-Madison policies for religious observances. Please notify your instructor in the first week of class if you will be absent due to religious observances in the 8-week summer term.
CESSI attendance policies align with UW-Madison guidelines: https://doso.students.wisc.edu/guide/class-attendance/.
CESSI students are expected to attend the weekly lecture series and other co-curricular programming.
Payment
Though CESSI spans two semesters of classes, all tuition payments are processed during the first week of the first semester of the program. Payments are due to the University of Wisconsin-Madison by the first Friday of classes. CESSI students pay their program fees in different ways: some are self-funded, some receive financial support (such as FLAS) from their home institutions or employers, and some may receive financial support (such as FLAS, Title VIII fellowship, or fee remission) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Regardless of how program fees will be paid, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all processes are in place for payment before classes begin. Since each situation is different, students should contact the CESSI program coordinator to discuss their situation cessi@creeca.wisc.edu.
For students receiving financial support from their home institution or another third party, please follow the instructions on our Third Party and Institutional Payments page.
Refunds
CESSI courses do not follow the standard UW-Madison refund schedule for dropped classes. No refunds will be given once classes have begun. If a student receiving a scholarship or fellowship through UW-Madison drops out of the CESSI program at any point before the end of the eight-week session, they may be required to pay back part or all of the scholarship or fellowship. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis by CESSI staff.
CESSI language courses must be taken for credit, and students are expected to maintain an academic standing of a C or above. Failure of the first/third/fifth semester course at CESSI prohibits students moving to the second/fourth/sixth semester course, and will result in dismissal from the program without refund. Students receiving a scholarship or fellowship may be required to pay back part or all of their scholarship or fellowship.