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 student loan default rate at UW - Madison is 1%, which is significantly lower than the national rate of 10.1%. That's great news for students who are worrying about paying off their student loans.
- 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.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison Rankings
According to our 2022 analysis, UW - Madison is ranked #88 out of 2,587 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation. Out of the 52 colleges in Wisconsin, it is ranked at #1.
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 |
---|---|---|
#24 | Best Graduate Certificate Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#70 | Best Master’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#74 | Best Doctor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
#80 | Best Bachelor’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 |
---|---|---|
#4 | Best Agriculture & Agriculture Operations Schools | College Factual |
#8 | Best Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Schools | College Factual |
#21 | Best Communication & Journalism Schools | College Factual |
#23 | Best Nursing Schools | Nursing Degree Search |
#38 | Best Computer & Information Sciences Schools | College Factual |
#45 | Best Business, Management & Marketing Schools | College Factual |
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 |
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 | considered but not required |
TOEFL | required |
How Hard Is It To Get Into UW - Madison?
Approximately 48% of accepted students are men and 52% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 55%, and the acceptance rate for women is 60%.
Average Test Scores
About 27% 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 610 and 690. Math scores were between 650 and 770.
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
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At UW - Madison, approximately 27% of students took out student loans averaging $8,478 a year. That adds up to $33,912 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at UW - Madison is 0.8%. 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 11,952 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 30,063 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 | 2,362 |
Black or African American | 617 |
Hispanic or Latino | 1,847 |
White | 20,340 |
International Students | 2,848 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 2,049 |
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 2019-2020.
Online Affordability Rankings of UW - Madison
The following table shows how UW - Madison is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Engineering Mechanics | #1 | #1 |
Biotechnology | #1 | #1 |
Geography & Cartography | #16 | #25 |
Allied Health Professions | #28 | #40 |
Civil Engineering | #37 | #67 |
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services | #37 | #60 |
General Engineering | #39 | #48 |
Mechanical Engineering | #40 | #55 |
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | #43 | #85 |
Biological & Biomedical Sciences | #49 | #97 |
Electrical Engineering | #52 | #88 |
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology | #64 | #118 |
Psychology | #73 | #172 |
Social Sciences | #73 | #145 |
Online Affordability Rankings of UW - Madison Rankings
The following table shows how UW - Madison is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Biotechnology | #4 | #4 |
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | #7 | #13 |
Biological & Biomedical Sciences | #16 | #22 |
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services | #19 | #19 |
Online Growth Rankings of UW - Madison
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at University of Wisconsin - Madison was 588.4%. This is the #149 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 |
---|---|
Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 2% |
Biotechnology | 13% |
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services | 13% |
Nursing | 6% |
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | 3% |
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 | |
---|---|---|
Biological & Biomedical Sciences | #1 | |
Biotechnology | #1 | |
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services | #1 | |
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | #1 | |
Nursing | #13 | |
Health Professions | #64 |
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.
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