UW Odyssey Project

The UW-Madison Odyssey Project provides adults facing economic barriers with a chance to start college for free. Now in its sixteenth year, this inspirational project has empowered more than 400 low-income adults to find their voices and get a jump start at earning college degrees they never thought possible. In this six-credit English literature course, UW-Madison faculty members introduce adults to great works of literature, philosophy, history, and art and help them improve skills in writing and critical thinking. Graduates of the program have journeyed from homelessness to UW-Madison degrees, from incarceration to meaningful work in the community. The majority of students who participate in the UW-Odyssey Project are from racial and ethnic minority groups (typically over 90%). Many are overcoming the obstacles of single parenthood, homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction, incarceration, depression, and domestic abuse. Odyssey students report transformative outcomes, and some have even moved from homelessness to bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Students report that they read more themselves and to their children, feel that they are better parents and advocates for their children in school, have more hope about their own futures, are more likely to vote and become involved in their communities, and have continued their educations and sought job training. The UW Odyssey Project also offers programs such as Odyssey Onward, helping alumni on their education path, and Odyssey Junior, an education enrichment program for kids of Odyssey students.