A public R1 research university in Madison, WI, admitting 45.20% of applicants with a $6.10 billion endowment and the Wisconsin Idea guiding its public mission.
Madison, Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public R1 research university and the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System, located in Madison, Wisconsin, founded in 1848. It enrolls 36,902 undergraduates and 13,004 graduate students across twenty schools and colleges, including the Wisconsin School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Letters and Science, the School of Education, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Business, engineering, biological sciences, social sciences, and education account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. Wisconsin holds a Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity (R1) Carnegie classification and is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Wisconsin is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. The Wisconsin Idea, articulated in the early twentieth century, holds that the university's influence should extend beyond campus to benefit all residents of Wisconsin and beyond.
Official website: wisc.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), Wisconsin scores 85.72 overall, rated Strong. Outcomes (95.33) reflects an 89.55% six-year graduation rate and a 90.86% rate of graduates earning above the high school median at ten years, both among the stronger figures in this peer group. Value scores 86.14, driven by ten-year earnings of $73,792 relative to an average net price of $17,354. Affordability scores 36.92. All scores use verified federal data only.
Wisconsin admits 45.20% of applicants. Wisconsin is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Students who submit scores typically average 1,427 on the SAT, with the middle 50% ACT range between 29 and 33. Wisconsin uses the Common App with optional but recommended supplemental materials. The priority deadline for most programs is November 1; regular decisions are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Applicants apply to a specific school or college within Wisconsin; the Wisconsin School of Business and the College of Engineering are more competitive than the overall admit rate. Wisconsin's 45.20% admit rate is competitive among flagship universities but more accessible than Michigan, UCLA, or UC Berkeley.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether University of Wisconsin-Madison is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
For Wisconsin residents, Wisconsin charges $11,603 in tuition plus an estimated $14,124 in room and board, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $28,679 before aid. For out-of-state students, tuition is $42,103, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $57,000 before aid. The average net price across all enrolled students is $17,354.
For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $4,200. For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $4,101. For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $17,763. For families earning above $110,000, it averages $27,292. Wisconsin's federal loan rate of 20.38% and median debt of $20,484 are moderate for a flagship research university.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $70 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
Wisconsin completes the large majority of the students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 89.55% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. First-year retention stands at 95.31%, one of the highest rates among flagship public universities. The federal loan rate of 20.38% and median debt of $20,484 are moderate, reflecting Wisconsin's mix of in-state students with lower costs and out-of-state students with higher costs.
Wisconsin graduates earn above the national median for public research universities. Median earnings are $61,275 six years after first enrolling and $73,792 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 90.86% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate, one of the stronger rates among flagship public universities. The earnings reflect Wisconsin's strong programs in business, engineering, and the life sciences, with graduates entering Madison's growing technology and healthcare sectors and broader Midwest industrial employers.
Wisconsin School of Business graduates go predominantly into finance, accounting, consulting, and marketing; Epic Systems, one of the largest healthcare technology companies in the world, is headquartered in nearby Verona and is among Wisconsin's largest employers. College of Engineering graduates enter manufacturing, energy, and technology fields with strong Midwest placement.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Wisconsin enrolls 36,902 undergraduates in Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, a mid-sized city of approximately 270,000 known for its high quality of life and vibrant downtown. White students account for 59.11% of undergraduates; Asian 10.95%, Hispanic 8.52%, and Black 2.47%. Fifteen percent of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 16.81% are first-generation college students, both below average for flagship public universities but reflecting Wisconsin's relatively moderate tuition.
Madison's State Street corridor connects the campus to the state Capitol building, and the city is home to a growing technology sector, state government employment, and major healthcare providers. The campus sits on the isthmus between two lakes (Lake Mendota and Lake Monona), creating an iconic outdoor campus environment.
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
University of Wisconsin-Madison offers an extensive catalog of programs: 295 distinct programs across 27 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
Wisconsin operates at a student-to-faculty ratio consistent with large flagship universities. 85.84% of instruction is delivered by full-time faculty, above the peer group average for large research universities. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $21,417 per year. The endowment stands at $6.10 billion, one of the larger endowments among public flagship universities.
Wisconsin is a top-ten recipient of federal research funding, with major programs in molecular biology, agriculture, social sciences, and engineering. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), founded in 1925, is one of the oldest and most productive university technology transfer organizations in the country.
3,832 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 1,352 | 35% | $183,504 |
| Associate Professors | 742 | 19% | $136,750 |
| Assistant Professors | 1,144 | 30% | $112,568 |
| Instructors | 454 | 12% | $84,700 |
| Lecturers | 139 | 4% | $77,808 |
| No Rank | 1 | 0% | $59,015 |
Wisconsin's defining strengths are its 85.72 Strong UCD score, exceptional first-year retention of 95.31%, an 89.55% six-year graduation rate, a $6.10 billion endowment, the Madison location (a vibrant college-and-government city with growing tech employment), and strong programs in business, engineering, and journalism. UCD 85.72 Strong.
The trade-offs: ten-year earnings of $73,792 are solid but below Michigan, UIUC, or Georgia Tech; out-of-state tuition of $42,103 makes Wisconsin expensive for non-residents; and the student body demographic profile (only 2.47% Black, 8.52% Hispanic) is less diverse than several peer flagships. Best fit for Wisconsin residents targeting business, engineering, journalism, or life sciences who want a large, research-active flagship in a high-quality college city with strong state need-based aid programs.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about Wisconsin-Madison: how competitive admissions are by program, what Madison is like as a college city, how cost compares to Michigan and Minnesota, and what graduates earn.
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