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Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Students comparing University of Wisconsin-Madison on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Madison, Wisconsin36,902 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 8Public universityUrban campusResearch university

The short answer

University of Wisconsin-Madison: U.S. News ranks it #36 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #53 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #69 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #73 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #44 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #18 College City Gets High Marks; QS ranks it #111 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 36,902 undergraduates, admits 45.2% of applicants, and posts a 89.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $42,103; aid recipients pay $17,354 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $73,792.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
45.2%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$17,354

69% below the $56,227 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$73,792

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
89.5%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$20,484

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1380–1520

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where UW–Madison ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#36of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#53of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#69of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#73of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A+#44of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)#18 College City Gets High MarksListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#111of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: UW–Madison's position moves 13 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a moderate spread; the ranking you look at changes the answer somewhat. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About UW–Madison

University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public institution in Madison, Wisconsin. Federal data show 96.2% first-year retention and a 18:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $17,354 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $56,227 sticker cost against $17,354 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of Wisconsin-Madison on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$11,603

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$42,103

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$14,124

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $56,227 a year, but the average family pays $17,354 — a 69% difference. 15.9% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run UW–Madison's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    18:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    96.2%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    36,902

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    UW–Madison: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $42,103 and on-campus room and board is $14,124, for a published total of $56,227 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $17,354.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 45.2%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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