University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public four-year university in Madison, WI that costs an average of $16,600 a year after financial aid, admits 45% of applicants and graduates 90% of full-time students.
Net price / year
$16,600
Acceptance rate
45%
Graduation rate
90%
Earnings after 10 yrs
$80,330
PublicLarge city36,902 undergraduates
Cost of University of Wisconsin-Madison
| Total cost of attendance (per year) | $29,943 |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees, in-state | $12,166 |
| Tuition and fees, out-of-state | $44,191 |
| Housing and food (on campus) | $14,520 |
| Books and supplies | $1,800 |
| Average net price after aid | $16,600 |
Net price by family income
| Family income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0–30,000 | $3,424 |
| $30,001–48,000 | $3,837 |
| $48,001–75,000 | $6,026 |
| $75,001–110,000 | $15,839 |
| $110,001+ | $28,208 |
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships (in-state students). Get your own estimate with University of Wisconsin-Madison's net price calculator ↗.
Admissions
| Acceptance rate | 45% |
|---|---|
| Average SAT | 1,427 |
| SAT reading (25th–75th percentile) | 670–740 |
| SAT math (25th–75th percentile) | 710–780 |
| ACT composite (25th–75th percentile) | 29–33 |
| Test scores | Considered but not required |
Graduation, earnings and debt
| Graduation rate | 90% |
|---|---|
| First-year retention | 96% |
| Median earnings 6 years after enrolling | $67,591 |
| Median earnings 10 years after enrolling | $80,330 |
| Rank in Wisconsin (earnings) | 3rd of 36 similar colleges |
| Median debt of graduates | $18,375 |
| Typical monthly loan payment | $209 (10-year plan) |
| Students with Pell grants | 19% |
| Students with federal loans | 20% |
Majors and programs at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Earnings one year after graduation and median debt, by program. Click a program for details and comparisons.
Bachelor's degree programs (100)
Certificate programs (64)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related Services | 32 | — | — |
| Agricultural Business and Management | 74 | — | — |
| Agricultural Production Operations | 5 | — | — |
| Agricultural Public Services | 57 | — | — |
| Apparel and Textiles | 38 | — | — |
| Archeology | 7 | — | — |
| Architecture | 6 | — | — |
| Area Studies | 199 | — | — |
| Biology | 241 | — | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 46 | — | — |
| Business/Commerce | 356 | — | — |
| Classical and Ancient Studies | 50 | — | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 14 | — | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 24 | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 308 | — | — |
| Criminology | 398 | — | — |
| Dance | 16 | — | — |
| Data Analytics | 1 | — | — |
| Data Science | 327 | — | — |
| Design and Applied Arts | 181 | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 39 | — | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 65 | — | — |
| Economics | 57 | — | — |
| Education | 148 | — | — |
| Education, Other | 6 | — | — |
| Engineering | 11 | — | — |
| Engineering, Other | 43 | — | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | 703 | — | — |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 87 | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 995 | — | — |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences | 93 | — | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 108 | — | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 175 | — | — |
| Food Science and Technology | 24 | — | — |
| Geography and Environmental Studies | 6 | — | — |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 89 | — | — |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities | 152 | — | — |
| History | 121 | — | — |
| Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies | 23 | — | — |
| International and Comparative Education | 2 | — | — |
| International Business | 3 | — | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 148 | — | — |
| Mathematics | 188 | — | — |
| Medieval and Renaissance Studies | 14 | — | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 488 | — | — |
| Physics | 44 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 65 | — | — |
| Public Health | 576 | — | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | 319 | — | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 203 | — | — |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | 464 | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 4 | — | — |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 24 | — | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 166 | — | — |
| Science, Technology and Society | 17 | — | — |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 2 | — | — |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | 84 | — | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 8 | — | — |
| Statistics | 10 | — | — |
| Sustainability Studies | 122 | — | — |
| Systems Engineering | 19 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 8 | — | — |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | 24 | — | — |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | — | — | — |
Master's degree programs (104)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business/Commerce | 98 | $141,050 | $49,625 |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | 42 | $132,662 | — |
| Marketing | 38 | $126,487 | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 330 | $124,044 | — |
| Engineering | 130 | $123,302 | $33,765 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 231 | $118,900 | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 135 | $112,967 | $70,479 |
| Real Estate | 125 | $97,995 | $31,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 119 | $92,920 | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 343 | $91,223 | $28,766 |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 99 | $90,377 | $20,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | 102 | $85,237 | — |
| Biotechnology | 89 | $82,149 | $41,000 |
| Civil Engineering | 71 | $78,481 | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 77 | $77,559 | $30,375 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 167 | $76,151 | $20,500 |
| Public Health | 143 | $71,592 | $52,920 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 41 | $67,447 | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | 65 | $66,113 | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 71 | $64,465 | $28,115 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 200 | $62,983 | $34,900 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 69 | $60,397 | $41,000 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 123 | $59,773 | $26,000 |
| Social Work | 221 | $57,680 | $32,788 |
| Special Education and Teaching | 46 | $57,193 | $18,766 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 184 | $53,311 | $23,528 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 73 | $52,667 | $20,500 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | 33 | $48,537 | — |
| Library Science and Administration | 189 | $47,650 | $37,310 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 38 | $33,984 | — |
| African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 4 | — | — |
| Agricultural Engineering | 11 | — | — |
| Agricultural Production Operations | 21 | — | — |
| Agricultural Public Services | 8 | — | — |
| Animal Sciences | 17 | — | — |
| Anthropology | 20 | — | — |
| Area Studies | 27 | — | — |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | 8 | — | — |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | 32 | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 56 | — | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 14 | — | — |
| Botany/Plant Biology | 28 | — | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 14 | — | — |
| Chemical Engineering | 4 | — | — |
| Chemistry | 150 | — | — |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 28 | — | — |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 10 | — | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 10 | — | — |
| Data Science | 2 | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | — | — | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 9 | — | — |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 5 | — | — |
| Economics | 295 | — | — |
| Engineering Mechanics | 12 | — | — |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 5 | — | — |
| English Language and Literature | 15 | — | — |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | 16 | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 14 | — | — |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences | 24 | — | — |
| Food Science and Technology | 8 | — | — |
| Forestry | 3 | — | — |
| Genetics | 45 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 20 | — | — |
| Geological/Geophysical Engineering | 6 | — | — |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 7 | — | — |
| History | 18 | — | — |
| Information Science/Studies | 56 | — | — |
| Insurance | 8 | — | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 25 | — | — |
| Journalism | 25 | — | — |
| Landscape Architecture | 3 | — | — |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | 31 | — | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 3 | — | — |
| Materials Engineering | 25 | — | — |
| Mathematics | 95 | — | — |
| Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies | 5 | — | — |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | 15 | — | — |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 35 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 12 | — | — |
| Music | 54 | — | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 4 | — | — |
| Nuclear Engineering | 31 | — | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | 1 | — | — |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | 5 | — | — |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | 94 | — | $41,000 |
| Philosophy | 17 | — | — |
| Physics | 58 | — | — |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 17 | — | — |
| Plant Sciences | 7 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 21 | — | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | — | — | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 22 | — | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 11 | — | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 21 | — | — |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 3 | — | — |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | 4 | — | — |
| Sociology | 15 | — | — |
| Soil Sciences | 7 | — | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 59 | — | — |
| Statistics | 162 | — | — |
| Systems Engineering | 17 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 2 | — | — |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | 14 | — | — |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | 19 | — | — |
Doctoral degree programs (78)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 49 | $110,532 | $46,927 |
| Chemistry | 127 | $86,665 | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | 86 | $84,941 | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 42 | $80,909 | — |
| Sociology | 30 | $78,722 | — |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 45 | $67,674 | — |
| English Language and Literature | 26 | $63,598 | — |
| Music | 27 | $42,085 | — |
| African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 6 | — | — |
| Agricultural Engineering | 5 | — | — |
| Animal Sciences | 20 | — | — |
| Anthropology | 4 | — | — |
| Area Studies | 4 | — | — |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | 7 | — | — |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | 10 | — | — |
| Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | — | — | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 5 | — | — |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 18 | — | — |
| Botany/Plant Biology | 24 | — | — |
| Business/Commerce | 19 | — | — |
| Chemical Engineering | 26 | — | — |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 2 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | 18 | — | — |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | — | — | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 45 | — | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 5 | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 47 | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 3 | — | — |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 6 | — | — |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 3 | — | — |
| Economics | 60 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 61 | — | — |
| Engineering Mechanics | 6 | — | — |
| Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences | 20 | — | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 8 | — | — |
| Food Science and Technology | 7 | — | — |
| Forestry | 6 | — | — |
| Genetics | 27 | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 15 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 19 | — | — |
| Geological/Geophysical Engineering | 3 | — | — |
| Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 5 | — | — |
| History | 24 | — | — |
| Industrial Engineering | 21 | — | — |
| Information Science/Studies | 4 | — | — |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | 2 | — | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 6 | — | — |
| Materials Engineering | 25 | — | — |
| Mathematics | 40 | — | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 59 | — | — |
| Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies | 7 | — | — |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 31 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 7 | — | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 19 | — | — |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 22 | — | — |
| Nuclear Engineering | 9 | — | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | 12 | — | — |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | 16 | — | — |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | 32 | — | — |
| Philosophy | 7 | — | — |
| Physics | 50 | — | — |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 48 | — | — |
| Plant Sciences | 4 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 18 | — | — |
| Public Health | 39 | — | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 7 | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 9 | — | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 22 | — | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 23 | — | — |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 2 | — | — |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | 20 | — | — |
| Social Work | 4 | — | — |
| Soil Sciences | 4 | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 7 | — | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 9 | — | — |
| Statistics | 26 | — | — |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | 7 | — | — |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | 43 | — | — |
Professional degree programs (7)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 61 | $105,349 | $55,118 |
| Veterinary Medicine | 186 | $103,052 | $159,513 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | 219 | $85,857 | $129,000 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 19 | $81,654 | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 115 | $79,095 | $61,500 |
| Law | 491 | $75,958 | $61,500 |
| Medicine | 329 | $66,453 | $185,334 |
Graduate certificate programs (30)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Public Services | 2 | — | — |
| Area Studies | — | — | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 3 | — | — |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 1 | — | — |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | 1 | — | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | 7 | — | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 20 | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | 85 | — | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | 1 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 32 | — | — |
| Engineering | 12 | — | — |
| Engineering-Related Fields | 2 | — | — |
| Engineering, Other | — | — | — |
| Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations | 5 | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 35 | — | — |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities | — | — | — |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 4 | — | — |
| Information Science/Studies | 20 | — | — |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies | 4 | — | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 1 | — | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 2 | — | — |
| Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies | 2 | — | — |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | 4 | — | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 2 | — | — |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | — | — | — |
| Polymer/Plastics Engineering | 4 | — | — |
| Public Health | 1 | — | — |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 8 | — | — |
| Science, Technology and Society | 1 | — | — |
| Sustainability Studies | — | — | — |
Similar colleges in Wisconsin
| College | City | Net price / yr | Acceptance | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Milwaukee | $15,625 | 91% | $59,268 |
| University of Wisconsin-Whitewater | Whitewater | $13,737 | 86% | $59,084 |
| University of Wisconsin-La Crosse | La Crosse | $17,064 | 76% | $65,850 |
| University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | Eau Claire | $16,133 | 82% | $62,438 |
| University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point | Stevens Point | $14,757 | 92% | $54,432 |
| University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | Oshkosh | $16,492 | 87% | $59,275 |
| University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Green Bay | $12,211 | 89% | $56,401 |
| University of Wisconsin-Stout | Menomonie | $17,533 | 88% | $62,537 |
About University of Wisconsin-Madison
| Type | Public four-year university |
|---|---|
| Location | Madison, WI |
| Setting | Large city |
| Undergraduates | 36,902 |
| Student-to-faculty ratio | 18 to 1 |
| Accreditor | Higher Learning Commission |
| Website | wisc.edu ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
What is University of Wisconsin-Madison's acceptance rate?
University of Wisconsin-Madison admits 45% of applicants, making it selective. Admitted students average 1,427 on the SAT.
How much does University of Wisconsin-Madison cost per year?
The full cost of attendance is $29,943 a year (tuition and fees: $12,166 in-state, $44,191 out-of-state). After grants and scholarships the average student pays $16,600 a year, and students from families earning under $30,000 pay about $3,424.
How much do University of Wisconsin-Madison graduates earn?
Former students earn a median of $80,330 a year, 10 years after first enrolling — 3rd of 36 similar colleges in Wisconsin. The best-paid bachelor's program is computer engineering ($90,524 a year after graduation).
What is University of Wisconsin-Madison's graduation rate?
90% of full-time students graduate within six years, and 96% of first-year students return for a second year.