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University of Wisconsin - Madison

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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?

12,470 Undergraduate Awards
$45,699 Avg Cost After Aid
57% Acceptance Rate
  • 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.

Best Schools

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.

Rank Ranking Name Share
#1 Best Zoology Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#1 Best Soil Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#1 Best Animal Science Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#2 Best Agriculture Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#7 Best Family, Consumer & Human Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#12 Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#14 Best Biological & Biomedical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#23 Best Computer & Information Sciences Master’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#32 Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It
#40 Best Business, Management & Marketing Bachelor’s Degree Schools Tweet It - Post It

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?

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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?

57% Acceptance Rate
52% Of Accepted Are Women
27% Submit SAT Scores
With an acceptance rate of 57%, UW - Madison does not let just anybody through their doors! Make sure you spend enough time polishing up your application so you will make a great impression.

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.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for University of Wisconsin - Madison  ( 610 to 690 )
200
800

SAT Math Scores for University of Wisconsin - Madison  ( 650 to 770 )
200
800
UW - Madison received ACT scores from 78% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT English scores ranged between 25 and 33. Math scores were between 26 and 31. Composite scores were between 27 and 32.

ACT English Scores for University of Wisconsin - Madison  ( 25 to 33 )
1
36
ACT Math Scores for University of Wisconsin - Madison  ( 26 to 31 )
1
36
ACT Composite Scores for University of Wisconsin - Madison  ( 27 to 32 )
1
36

Can I Afford University of Wisconsin - Madison?

$45,699 Net Price
27% Take Out Loans
0.8% Loan Default Rate
The overall average net price of UW - Madison is $45,699. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group.

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

30,063 Full-Time Undergraduates
52% Women
20% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
There are 32,688 undergraduate students at UW - Madison, with 30,063 being full-time and 2,625 being part-time.

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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.

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Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

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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

21,672 Took All Classes Online
41,428 Took At Least One Class Online
588.4% Avg Growth Over 4 Years
There are 1 bachelor’s degree and 3 master’s degree programs available online at UW - Madison. In 2019-2020, 41,428 students took at least one online class at the school.

The following chart shows how the online learning population at UW - Madison has changed over the last few years.

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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.

Major Basic Certificate Bachelor’s Graduate Certificate Master’s Doctor’s TOTAL
Computer Information Systems 120 628 47 106 22 923
Economics 0 566 0 156 28 750
General Psychology 0 463 0 18 10 491
General Biology 81 376 0 0 0 457
Mathematics 100 296 0 33 21 450
Natural Resources Conservation 206 175 4 44 11 440
Finance & Financial Management 0 404 0 27 0 431
Public Health 322 0 0 62 12 396
Political Science & Government 4 363 0 1 8 376
Communication & Media Studies 0 290 0 10 15 315
Romance Languages 72 189 0 15 13 289
Entrepreneurial Studies 260 0 16 0 0 276
Ethnic Studies 213 48 0 7 0 268
Nursing 0 230 3 0 33 266
Mechanical Engineering 0 190 0 57 15 262
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 0 214 0 2 39 255
Fine & Studio Arts 113 82 1 52 3 251
Electrical Engineering 0 121 13 83 30 247
Marketing 0 222 0 24 0 246
Journalism 0 233 0 13 0 246
Social Work 0 71 0 167 4 242
Accounting 0 126 0 113 0 239
Statistics 0 128 0 90 15 233
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 0 227 0 2 1 230
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 228 0 0 0 0 228
General Business/Commerce 123 0 0 94 10 227
Human Development & Family Studies 0 214 0 0 0 214
General Sales & Marketing 57 138 0 0 0 195
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 0 36 0 7 142 185
Business Administration & Management 0 178 0 3 0 181
Real Estate 0 156 0 19 0 175
Area Studies 132 31 0 8 4 175
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 4 84 0 35 48 171
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods 2 70 66 31 0 169
Medicine 0 0 0 0 159 159
Industrial Engineering 0 116 0 29 10 155
General English Literature 0 126 0 10 15 151
History 0 130 0 7 13 150
Law 0 0 0 0 147 147
Civil Engineering 0 108 0 31 7 146
Insurance 0 137 0 4 0 141
Chemistry 0 76 0 17 47 140
Criminology 136 0 0 0 0 136
Chemical Engineering 0 113 0 2 16 131
Teacher Education Grade Specific 0 130 0 0 0 130
Biomedical Engineering 0 81 0 31 16 128
Communication Sciences 0 73 7 30 17 127
Geography & Cartography 0 41 17 55 11 124
Sociology 0 97 0 11 16 124
Physics 23 61 0 13 21 118
Genetics 0 84 0 14 12 110
Health & Physical Education 2 98 0 6 2 108
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 0 76 0 15 9 100
General Education 98 0 0 0 0 98
Computer Engineering 0 98 0 0 0 98
Non-Professional General Legal Studies 0 97 0 0 0 97
Educational Administration 0 0 0 79 16 95
Curriculum & Instruction 0 0 0 64 24 88
Library & Information Science 0 0 0 84 3 87
Zoology 0 68 0 6 11 85
General Engineering 13 0 0 72 0 85
Materials Engineering 0 50 0 20 15 85
Agricultural Economics & Business 40 44 0 0 0 84
Education Philosophy 47 24 0 1 11 83
International Studies 0 82 0 0 0 82
Agricultural Engineering 0 61 0 10 2 73
Nutrition Science 0 66 0 1 4 71
East Asian Languages 30 27 0 7 3 67
Agricultural Public Services 0 59 0 7 0 66
Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 0 63 0 1 2 66
Allied Health Professions 0 14 0 51 0 65
Animal Science 0 50 0 7 7 64
Special Education 0 51 0 11 1 63
Liberal Arts General Studies 61 0 2 0 0 63
Public Policy 20 0 0 43 0 63
Philosophy 0 54 0 5 3 62
Geological & Earth Sciences 0 43 0 11 7 61
Music 0 27 0 19 15 61
Clinical, Counseling & Applied Psychology 0 0 0 40 18 58
Legal Research 0 0 13 39 3 55
Germanic Languages 31 18 0 1 4 54
Agricultural Production 46 0 0 4 0 50
Food Science Technology 10 29 0 7 2 48
Design & Applied Arts 12 35 0 0 0 47
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 47 0 0 0 0 47
Astronomy & Astrophysics 0 40 0 3 3 46
Engineering Mechanics 0 35 0 8 1 44
Sustainability Science 32 0 10 0 0 42
Anthropology 0 26 0 8 6 40
Management Information Systems 0 37 0 0 0 37
International Business 0 34 0 0 0 34
Nuclear Engineering 0 15 0 11 8 34
Pharmacology & Toxicology 0 18 0 4 10 32
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 0 18 0 7 6 31
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 0 0 2 28 0 30
Plant Sciences 0 23 0 5 1 29
Applied Mathematics 0 29 0 0 0 29
Botany/Plant Biology 0 14 0 2 12 28
Linguistics & Comparative Literature 0 21 0 0 7 28
Wildlife Management 0 16 0 8 4 28
Teacher Education Subject Specific 0 25 0 0 0 25
Biotechnology 0 0 0 24 0 24
Geoscience Engineering 0 19 0 5 0 24
Science, Technology & Society 13 0 11 0 0 24
Drama & Theater Arts 5 14 0 1 2 22
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 0 0 0 2 19 21
Textile & Apparel Studies 7 14 0 0 0 21
Landscape Architecture 0 18 0 2 0 20
Classical Languages & Literature 0 13 0 2 5 20
Religious Studies 10 10 0 0 0 20
Environmental Engineering 19 0 0 0 0 19
Systems Engineering 10 0 0 8 0 18
General Family & Consumer Sciences 0 0 0 12 6 18
Slavic, Baltic & Albanian Languages 4 11 0 2 1 18
Gerontology 18 0 0 0 0 18
Dance 4 14 0 0 0 18
Urban & Regional Planning 0 0 0 14 3 17
Other Business, Management & Marketing 0 0 17 0 0 17
Classical & Ancient Studies 15 0 0 0 0 15
Other Engineering 9 3 2 0 0 14
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 0 0 14 0 0 14
Forestry 0 9 0 0 4 13
Natural Resource Management 0 0 0 12 0 12
Soil Sciences 0 5 0 3 3 11
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 0 0 0 11 0 11
Public Relations & Advertising 10 0 0 0 0 10
Other Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 0 4 0 0 6 10
Medical Science 0 0 2 3 3 8
International Relations & National Security 0 0 0 7 0 7
Teaching English or French 6 0 0 0 0 6
Writing Studies 0 0 0 6 0 6
Medieval Studies 4 0 0 0 0 4
Archeology 4 0 0 0 0 4
Multilingual Education 0 0 0 0 3 3
Engineering Physics 0 3 0 0 0 3
African Languages 0 2 0 0 1 3
Arts & Media Management 0 0 0 3 0 3
Agricultural Mechanization 1 0 0 0 0 1
Computer Science 0 0 0 0 0 0
Information Science 0 0 0 0 0 0
Family & Consumer Economics 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other Health Professions 0 0 0 0 0 0
Public Administration 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other Visual Art 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 2,824 9,646 247 2,345 1,267 16,329

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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