Providing a life-changing opportunity for members of our community facing economic barriers with a chance to start college for free Odyssey helps to break the cycle of generational poverty through free access to education The UW-Madison Odyssey Project provides adults facing economic barriers with a chance to start college for free. Now in its seventeenth year, this inspirational project has empowered more than 450 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.