University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI · Public · Large city · Carnegie R1/R2 · UWM
Public institution in Madison, WI · 35,665 undergraduates · 43% acceptance rate · $73,792 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 1%Undergraduates
- Top 4%Graduation rate (4-year)
- Top 8%Full-time retention
- Top 10%Average SAT
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $16,928818th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $11,205705th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $40,6031,648th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $27,770850th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $20,484682nd lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $73,792221st highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $61,275225th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 89.3%89th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 94.5%139th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 43.4%205th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 140298th highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 29132nd highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 35,66527th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 18.0:11,713th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 15.3%1,920th highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 108 mi (ORD)
On 4 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EANov 1
- RDJan 15
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $80
- Personal essay
- Required
- Writing supplement
- No
Supplemental prompts (2025-26)
- Tell us why you would like to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition, please include why you are interested in studying the major(s) you have selected. If you selected undecided, please describe your areas of possible academic interest.
Source: Aristotle Circle 2025-26 supplemental prompt roundup
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 99 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $83,768 | $81,997 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBusiness | bachelors | $79,977 | $78,814 |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $75,413 | $73,378 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science | bachelors | $74,325 | $75,282 |
| Real EstateBusiness | bachelors | $73,112 | $73,949 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $71,605 | $71,633 |
| Industrial EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $71,509 | $72,895 |
| Materials EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $69,338 | $66,941 |
| InsuranceBusiness | bachelors | $68,563 | $66,821 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $68,079 | $68,379 |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $66,192 | $67,450 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $63,749 | $64,769 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1848source
- Motto: "Numen Lumen"source
- Athletic nickname: "Badgers"source
- Mascot: Bucky Badgersource
- Camp Randall Stadium seats about 80,321source
- Competes in Big Ten Conferencesource
- Formerly known as "University of Wisconsin" (1848–1971)source
- Athletic conference: Big Tensource
- A [[National Sea Grant College Program institutionsource
- A sea-grant]] institutionsource
- 3 Nobel laureates affiliatedsource
- Fight song: ""[[On, Wisconsin!]]""source
- Notable alum: Frank Lloyd Wright (Architect)source
- Notable alum: Joan Cusack (Actress)source
- Notable alum: Bud Selig (MLB Commissioner)source
Athletics — 12 sports
NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $18,628,785 (M $10,704,429 · W $7,924,356)
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Ice Hockey
- Rowing
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming and Diving (combined)
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
- Ice Hockey: 2026, 2025, 2023, 2021, 2019 +3
- Volleyball: 2021
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Notable alumni
- Frank Lloyd WrightArchitectattended
- Joan CusackActress
- Bud SeligMLB Commissioner
Illustrative alumni only — not exhaustive and not a quality ranking. Affiliation claims cite Wikipedia/Wikidata; confirm on primary bios before relying on them.
Key links
- Official websitewisc.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 240444)
- Compare colleges in WIRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in WisconsinEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: University of Wisconsin-Madison vs University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 12 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.