University of Wisconsin-Madison

Overview

Rankings

• #2 Best Bachelor's Programs in Wisconsin
• #2 Best Master's Programs in Wisconsin
• #2 Best Computer Science Colleges in Wisconsin
• #2 Best Communications Colleges in Wisconsin
• #2 Best Data Science Colleges in Wisconsin
• #3 Best Colleges in Wisconsin
• #4 Best Business Colleges in Wisconsin
• #5 Best Online Colleges in Wisconsin

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into University of Wisconsin-Madison? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Madison, Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Madison reviews applications selectively. The acceptance rate runs near 45%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,427. The graduation rate is roughly 89%.

Acceptance Rate

45%

Retention Rate

96%

SAT Average

1427

ACT Midpoint

29

SAT Range

1380–1520

ACT Range

29–33

Full-Time Faculty

86%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$15,643

Student–Faculty Ratio

18:1

Diversity Index

0.62

First-Gen Students

17%

Applicants

60,214

Admitted

29,539

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard University of Wisconsin-Madison is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds.

Submitted SAT

15%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

35%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend University of Wisconsin-Madison? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at University of Wisconsin-Madison is $42,103, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $17,354. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $4,200 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $20,484 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$11,603

Out-of-State

$42,103

Avg Net Price

$17,354

Median Debt

$20,484

Pell Grant Rate

16%

Federal Loan Rate

20%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at University of Wisconsin-Madison — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is University of Wisconsin-Madison Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of University of Wisconsin-Madison earn a median of $73,792, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

6 Years After Entry

$61,275

8 Years

$69,868

10 Years

$73,792

Debt-to-Earnings

0.28x

Earning > $25K

80%

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is University of Wisconsin-Madison? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Its economic connectedness score is 1.78, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 9% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness

1.78

Cross-class friendships

Friending Bias

0.00

Lower = more inclusive

Volunteering Rate

8.9%

Support Ratio

0.99

Community support

Research & Teaching

Data: Times Higher Education World University Rankings

How Research-Intensive Is University of Wisconsin-Madison? World Rank, Teaching & Citations

Times Higher Education places University of Wisconsin-Madison at #27 worldwide, a mark of serious research standing. Its profile spans a research score of 77/100, teaching at 74/100, and citation impact of 91/100, reflecting both the volume of research output and how often that work is cited by scholars elsewhere.

World Rank

#27

Teaching

74.3

Research

77.3

Citations

90.6

International

23.8

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Research Score

77/100

Times Higher Ed

Academic Influence

91/100

Citation impact (THE)

Industry Engagement

55/100

Knowledge transfer (THE)

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income

$-59,277,711

Top Programs

The fields University of Wisconsin-Madison awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Business & Marketing 16% $93,646 early-career
• Social Sciences 9% $58,840 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 8% $45,495 early-career
• Computer Science & IT 7% $89,449 early-career
• Engineering 7% $97,428 early-career
• Communications 6% $47,035 early-career
• Health Professions 5% $76,958 early-career
• Psychology 3% $38,633 early-career

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.