University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Wisconsin-Madison Overview

University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public, state school in the city of Madison, Wisconsin. UW Madison was founded in 1848 and the school enrolls around 47,932 students per year, which includes 35,474 undergrads. UW Madison offers housing for up to 7,476 students. Most students live in off campus housing.

📆 Mark your calendar! The final application deadline for Fall 2023 is January 15. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2023 should find out if they have been admitted by March 31.

Student Activities at UW Madison

Interested in music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of the school's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? UW Madison students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Interested in Greek life? UW Madison has fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? UW Madison has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at UW Madison on the Student Life page.

2022 UW Madison Facts At-A-Glance
Academic Calendar	Semester
Overall Acceptance Rate	60%
Early Decision Acceptance Rate	ED not offered
Early Action Acceptance Rate	EA Offered but % not available
Average GPA	3.9
Applicants Submitting SAT scores	15%
In-State Tuition	$10,796
Out-of-State	$39,427
Percent of Need Met	80%
Average First-Year Financial Aid Package	$22,043

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Is UW Madison a Good School?

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Different people have different ideas about what makes a "good" school. Admissions difficulty, admitted student statistics, tuition, and financial aid can provide a sense of how competitive a college is.

Let's take a look at these areas to get a clearer view of what UW Madison offers and if it could be the right college for you.

UW Madison Acceptance Rate 2022

UW Madison is very difficult to get into. UW Madison admitted 60% of all applicants in 2022. Out of 53,829 applications received in 2022, 32,466 students were offered admission.

Retention and Graduation Rates at UW Madison

Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. It is a way to measure how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

Approximately 95% of students who start at UW Madison return for their second year of college. Around 89% of students who started at UW Madison earn their Bachelor's degrees within six years. Compare this to the average six-year graduation rate for colleges and universities in the U.S., which is around 61% for public schools and 67% for private.

Job Outlook UW Madison Graduates

Job placement statistics for recent graduates can give you a sense of the return on investment a school offers.

Check with UW Madison directly, for information on any information on starting salaries for recent grads.

UW Madison's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students.

UW Madison's endowment was valued at $3.2 billion in 2022, compared to a national average of $905 million.

Tuition and Financial Aid at UW Madison

Cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.

UW Madison meets 80% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend UW Madison full-time are awarded $22,043 a year in financial aid, on average.

Graduates in the class of 2022 had an average of $27,323 in student loans per borrower. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA early. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! No one should ever pay to fill out the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid, (FAFSA), so be very wary of anyone asking you for money.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at UW Madison.

Based on this information, how does UW Madison sound? Remember, a school that is perfect for one person may not be the right school for someone else! So ask yourself: Is UW Madison a good school for you?

If University of Wisconsin-Madison seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

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Still Exploring Schools?

Choose one of the options below to learn more about UW Madison:

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UW Madison Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to calculate your chances of getting accepted at some of the colleges and universities in the U.S.

Where is UW Madison?

UW Madison is located in the city of Madison, Wisconsin, in the suburbs of Milwaukee.

If you want to see UW Madison for yourself, be sure to plan a visit! The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 90/94 to Madison, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Dane County Regional.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what UW Madison and Madison are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges in Wisconsin?

See a full list of colleges in Wisconsin and save your favorites to your college list.