University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI
University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public research university in Madison, Wisconsin, a large city, with 36,902 undergraduates. Interdisciplinary studies is its signature field: 6% of its bachelor's degrees, about twice its share across the colleges we cover. 90% of students finish within six years, and former students who are working earn a median of $73,792 ten years after starting.
University of Wisconsin-Madison admitted 30,167 of 73,912 applicants for the fall 2025 entering class (40.8%).
- Acceptance rate
- 40.8%
- Fall 2025 class
- In-state tuition
- $11,603
- $42,103 out of state
- Paid after aid
- $17,354
- Average, students with aid
- ACT, middle 50%
- 28–32
Every figure on this page is published by the college or a federal survey, compiled by GoodGoblin, and carries the source it came from. They describe the fall 2025 entering class, a read on the school, not a prediction about any one applicant.
What University of Wisconsin-Madison is known for
Measured by the 10,640 bachelor's degrees it awarded in 2022–23, and what its graduates went on to earn.
Interdisciplinary studies
5.8%
of its bachelor's degrees: about twice the 2.9% share across the colleges we cover.
- Computer and Information Sciences8648.1% of degrees$119,655+30% vs $92,374 nationally
- Psychology5895.5% of degrees$58,901+16% vs $50,706 nationally
- Economics5875.5% of degrees$85,366About the $82,686 national median
- Finance and Financial Management Services5214.9% of degrees$107,207+29% vs $83,343 nationally
- Biology4404.1% of degrees$69,005+21% vs $57,214 nationally
- Political Science and Government3843.6% of degrees$66,148+5% vs $63,293 nationally
Source: the College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), field-of-study data. Degrees are bachelor's degrees awarded in 2022–23. Earnings are the median for 2017–18 and 2018–19 graduates, in 2024 dollars, working and not enrolled, four years after graduating. Shares across the colleges we cover count every bachelor's degree at the colleges with a page here.
The place
Where it is, how big it is, and how students live.
Setting
Large city
Madison, WI
Undergraduates
36,902
Fall 2024
Type
Public
Doctoral university, very high research activity
Living on campus
A quarter to half
of undergraduates live on campus
Students per faculty member
18 to 1
Fall 2024
International students
10%
of undergraduates, fall 2024
Source: the College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), including the Carnegie Classification and the federal locale code it publishes.
What stands out at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Three things University of Wisconsin-Madison published, ranked by how much each could change what you actually do, not by how impressive it looks. Every one describes a class that has already enrolled.
1,088 admitted from a waitlist of 6,476.
4,317 students accepted a place on that list, and 1,088 were admitted from it, 25.2% of the students who waited. A waitlist offer here is not a near-miss anyone can plan around.
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
14% of the enrolled class sent an SAT.
The SAT band on this page describes that share of the class, not all of it. Another 30% sent an ACT. University of Wisconsin-Madison files test scores under “considered”.
Source: the federal IPEDS survey, fall 2023
Families paid $17,354 on average after aid.
Averaged across students who received federal aid: the price after grants and scholarships, not the sticker price.
Source: the College Scorecard
Every figure, in full
The same measured fields on every one of these pages. Nothing is filled in where the school published nothing.
Acceptance rate
40.8%
30,167 admitted of 73,912 applicants
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
SAT, middle 50%
Reading 660–730Math 700–780
Source: the federal IPEDS survey, fall 2023
ACT, middle 50%
28–32
Source: the federal IPEDS survey, fall 2023
Enrolled students who sent an SAT
14%
Counted per test: a student may send both.
Source: the federal IPEDS survey, fall 2023
Enrolled students who sent an ACT
30%
Counted per test: a student may send both.
Source: the federal IPEDS survey, fall 2023
Where do you actually stand at University of Wisconsin-Madison?
The figures on this page describe a class that already enrolled. GoodGoblin reads them against your own transcript, scores, activities and budget, then builds the balanced list, the essay plan and the deadline calendar around what it finds.
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What University of Wisconsin-Madison costs
The published price first, then what students who received aid actually paid, by family income.
In-state tuition and fees for 2024–25 were $11,603 ($42,103 out of state), and the full in-state cost of attendance, with housing, food and books, was $28,679. After grants and scholarships, students who received financial aid paid $17,354 a year on average.
In-state tuition and fees
$11,603
2024–25 school year
Out-of-state tuition and fees
$42,103
2024–25 school year
Full cost, in state
$28,679
Tuition, fees, housing, food and books
Paid after aid
$17,354
Average, students who received aid
What students paid, by family income
Each bar is that figure as a share of the $28,679 full cost.
- Under $30k$4,200Typical public university: $10,013
- $30k–$48k$4,101Typical public university: $10,847
- $48k–$75k$8,134Typical public university: $13,703
- $75k–$110k$17,763Typical public university: $17,979
- Over $110k$27,292Typical public university: $22,475
Source: the federal College Scorecard. Tuition and cost of attendance are for the 2024–25 school year; colleges usually raise them each year. What students paid is the average net price for first-year students who received federal financial aid. Typical public university: the median across the 338 public universities on GoodGoblin, for in-state students, compiled by GoodGoblin from the same federal data.
Where it leads
Who finishes, who stays, and what they earn and owe afterwards.
Finish within six years
90%
Our colleges' median: 63%
Return for a second year
96%
Our colleges' median: 79%
Earnings after 10 years
$73,792
Our colleges' median: $57,440
Median debt at graduation
$20,484
Our colleges' median: $23,725
Source: the College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education). Six-year completion describes students who started in fall 2018; second-year return describes students who started in fall 2023; earnings describe students who started in 2009–10 and 2010–11, measured in 2020 and 2021, in 2022 dollars; debt describes federal loans of students who graduated in fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Medians are across the 1,034 colleges with a page here.
How the rate has moved
Two measured admit rates from the federal survey, the years apart it reports them. A rate that moved, not a forecast.
Over 5 years the admit rate fell from 52% to 43%.
What University of Wisconsin-Madison says it weighs
The school's own words, from the form it fills in every year. Ranked as it ranks them.
- Course rigorvery important
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- GPAvery important
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- Essayimportant
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- Recommendationsimportant
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- Test scoresconsidered
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- Class rankconsidered
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
Not considered
- Legacy
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- Interview
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
- Demonstrated interest
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
The waitlist, as the school reported it
Published counts, including the ones schools rarely lead with.
- Offered a waitlist place
- 6,476
- Accepted the place
- 4,317
- Admitted from the waitlist
- 1,088
Source: their Common Data Set, fall 2025
Essays on this application
2 essay prompts on the application: you would write 1.
Published deadlines
Each date is read from the college's own materials and re-checked on a schedule.
Guides for University of Wisconsin-Madison applicants
More colleges on the record
Each of these pages carries the same measured figures and sources.
Other colleges in Wisconsin
Closest acceptance rates in the same state.
- Beloit College57.4%
- Carroll University58.4%
- Milwaukee School of Engineering60.4%
- Lawrence University63%
Colleges with a similar acceptance rate
Closest acceptance rates anywhere in the country.
The GoodGoblin College Data Report: five findings counted across 1,034 colleges ›
Build the list this school belongs on.
The figures on this page describe a class that already enrolled. GoodGoblin reads them against your own transcript, scores, activities and budget, then builds the balanced list, the essay plan and the deadline calendar around what it finds.
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