University of Wisconsin - Madison Overview
University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution situated in Madison, Wisconsin. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life.
What Is University of Wisconsin - Madison Known For?
- The 1% student loan default rate at UW - Madison is better than the national rate of 10.1%. That's a good sign that you may be able to pay off student loans easier than your peers at other schools can.
- Although it may not be available for every major, the doctor's degree is the highest award a student can attain at UW - Madison.
- In 2017-2018, 82% of the faculty were full-time.
- Students who graduate from UW - Madison with a bachelor's degree make about $56,200 a year. That's 38% more than those who graduate from other schools.
Featured schools near , edit

University of Wisconsin - Madison Rankings
We have ranked UW - Madison as #96 out of 2,320 colleges and universities in the country in our 2021 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation. It is also ranked #1 out of 36 schools in Wisconsin.
Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.
UW - Madison has also been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.
Rank | Ranking Name | Share |
---|---|---|
#41 | Best Graduate Certificate Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#52 | Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#58 | Best Master’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at UW - Madison.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards UW - Madison has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#2 | Best Colleges for Biological & Biomedical Sciences | College Factual |
#4 | Best Colleges for Foreign Languages & Linguistics | College Factual |
#4 | Best Colleges for Physical Sciences | College Factual |
#14 | Best Colleges for Business, Management & Marketing | College Factual |
#30 | Best Colleges for Health Professions | College Factual |
#40 | Best Nursing Schools | Nursing Degree Search |
Where Is University of Wisconsin - Madison?

Contact details for UW - Madison are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 500 Lincoln Dr, Madison, WI 53706-1380 |
Phone: | 608-263-2400 |
Website: | www.wisc.edu |
Facebook: | http://www.facebook.com/UWMadison |
Twitter: | http://twitter.com/UWMadison |
How Do I Get Into UW - Madison?
You can apply to UW - Madison online at: https://www.commonapp.org/
Admission Requirements for UW - Madison
Submission | Required? |
---|---|
High School GPA | required |
High School Rank | recommended |
High School Transcript | required |
College Prep Program | required |
Recommendations | required |
SAT or ACT Scores | required |
TOEFL | required |
How Hard Is It To Get Into UW - Madison?
Approximately 46% of accepted students are men and 54% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 50%, and the acceptance rate for women is 57%.
Average Test Scores
About 17% of students accepted to UW - Madison submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 620 and 690. Math scores were between 660 and 760.
Can I Afford University of Wisconsin - Madison?
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.
Student Loan Debt
It's not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At UW - Madison, approximately 34% of students took out student loans averaging $8,260 a year. That adds up to $33,040 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at UW - Madison is 1.3%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
University of Wisconsin - Madison Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 11,758 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 29,375 full-time undergraduates at UW - Madison, 48% are male and 52% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of University of Wisconsin - Madison students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 1,850 |
Black or African American | 569 |
Hispanic or Latino | 1,543 |
White | 20,506 |
International Students | 3,366 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 1,541 |
Geographic Diversity
Wisconsin students aren't the only ones who study at University of Wisconsin - Madison. At this time, 46 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 110 countries are represented at UW - Madison. The most popular countries sending students to the school are China, India, and South Korea.
Online Learning at University of Wisconsin - Madison
The following chart shows how the online learning population at UW - Madison has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 20th most popular in Wisconsin for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2017-2018.
Online Growth Rankings of UW - Madison
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at University of Wisconsin - Madison was 9.2%. This is the #1,388 largest growth rate of all schools that are only partially online. This refers to all students at UW - Madison regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of UW - Madison majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
Major | 1-Year Growth Rate |
---|---|
Biotechnology | 19% |
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services | 62% |
Health Professions | 3% |
Nursing | 14% |
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at UW - Madison ranks compared to all other partially online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at UW - Madison.
Major | Growth Rate Rank | |
---|---|---|
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | #31 | |
Nursing | #298 | |
Health Professions | #493 |
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
University of Wisconsin - Madison Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Image Credit: By Czar under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
![]() |
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |