University of Wisconsin-Madison

Public · Selective · WI

Photo: Michael Barera (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationWI · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads36,902

Student:faculty18:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate75.2%

6-yr grad rate89.5%

Drop-out rate3.8%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$12k

Out-of-state tuition$42k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity40.9%

Gender diversity53.4%

International10.2%

Identity—

Overview

Wisconsin's flagship campus sits on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona in Madison, widely regarded as one of the classic American college towns and consistently ranked among the most livable cities in the country. It is a major public research university guided by the "Wisconsin Idea," the founding principle that the university's work should extend beyond campus to benefit the whole state, and that ethos still shapes its research, extension, and public-service mission today. The university's scale, spanning a huge range of disciplines, gives students access to resources well beyond what most flagships can offer.

Academics

Wisconsin is strong across the sciences, with particular depth in the life sciences and a long history of major federally funded research, as well as in economics, sociology, and education, areas where its graduate programs carry significant national reputations that feed back into strong undergraduate teaching. The School of Business and the College of Engineering are also well regarded, and undergraduates have real access to research given the university's scale and the sheer number of active labs across campus. The curriculum leans toward flexibility and breadth rather than a rigid core, letting students explore widely within the College of Letters and Science before settling on a major.

Campus & student life

The lakeside Memorial Union Terrace, with its colorful chairs and view of Lake Mendota, is the social heart of campus and a symbol of Madison's outdoor, laid-back student culture, hosting everything from live music to casual studying on any warm afternoon. Big Ten athletics, especially football at Camp Randall Stadium and basketball at the Kohl Center, draw enormous crowds and genuine campus-wide enthusiasm, and traditions like Jump Around between the third and fourth quarters have become nationally recognizable. State Street connects campus to the state capitol, tying university life closely to the city around it.

Getting in

Wisconsin's process is holistic but handles a very large applicant pool, so academic strength in a rigorous high school curriculum, particularly in math and science, is a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator. Essays and demonstrated interest matter less than at smaller private schools, though intended major and its context can factor into admission for some competitive programs like business and engineering, which sometimes involve separate or more selective review.

After graduation

Graduates go on to strong placement with Midwest and national employers across business, engineering, and the sciences, and the university's research strength feeds a steady stream of students into graduate and professional programs, including a well-regarded path into biomedical and life-sciences PhD programs. The alumni network is large and especially influential in Wisconsin and the broader Midwest, with a strong presence in Chicago and Minneapolis as well as within the state itself.

Worth knowing

Madison's setting is a genuine draw in its own right, with the lakes, the Terrace, and the farmers' market around the capitol shaping daily life in a way few other flagship campuses can match. Winters are long and genuinely cold, which students should factor in realistically, and the university's sheer size means students who want a large research university's resources, rather than a small, tightly-knit undergraduate experience, tend to be the best fit.

wisc.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate45.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1380–1520 · ACT 29–33

Test policyoptional

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App or Own application.

Early Action is non-binding and there is no binding early decision plan at UW-Madison.

Supplemental essays (1)

Why UW-Madison / Why Major
Tell us why you would like to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition, please include why you are interested in studying the major(s) you have selected. If you selected undecided, please describe your areas of possible academic interest.
Required · Required of all first-year applicants regardless of platform; no word limit is stated on the school's page.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗