National university
#22 Best colleges for nursing in AmericaUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI · Public · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid $17,354 a year
Median debt at graduation: $20,484 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Rankings
Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list
In America
- Best colleges for social work in America#9 of 605
- Best colleges for exercise science and kinesiology in America#19 of 950
- Best colleges for nursing in America#22 of 1,068
- Best colleges for marketing in America#20 of 834
- Best colleges for accounting in America#28 of 1,132
- Best colleges for finance in America#22 of 744
Show 29 more
- Best colleges for business in America#56 of 1,563
- Best colleges for communications and journalism in America#52 of 1,238
- Best colleges for education in America#56 of 1,318
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in America#82 of 1,829
- Best value colleges in the Midwest in America#8 of 177
- Best colleges in America#98 of 1,829
- Best colleges for psychology in America#82 of 1,418
- Best test-optional colleges in America#88 of 1,481
- Lowest net price for middle-income families in America#42 of 682
- Best colleges for biology and pre-med in America#84 of 1,358
- Best colleges for English in America#84 of 1,283
- Best colleges for history in America#87 of 1,247
- Best colleges for art and design in America#84 of 1,187
- Best colleges for mathematics in America#87 of 1,215
- Best colleges for chemistry in America#87 of 1,162
- Best colleges for political science and pre-law in America#87 of 1,116
- Best colleges for music in America#83 of 1,063
- Best large colleges in America#22 of 256
- Best value colleges in America#58 of 674
- Best colleges for engineering in America#65 of 749
- Colleges where the most freshmen return in America#65 of 693
- Colleges with the best earnings for the price in America#66 of 681
- Best colleges for economics in America#86 of 788
- Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in America#78 of 598
- Best colleges for NCAA Division I athletes in America#49 of 367
- Best colleges under $20,000 a year in America#30 of 197
- Most affordable colleges with strong academics in America#111 of 690
- Colleges that spend the most on teaching in America#153 of 704
- Most selective colleges in America#157 of 683
In Wisconsin
- Best colleges in Wisconsin#1 of 36
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in Wisconsin#1 of 36
- Best colleges for business in Wisconsin#1 of 34
- Best test-optional colleges in Wisconsin#1 of 34
- Best colleges for accounting in Wisconsin#1 of 30
- Best colleges for art and design in Wisconsin#1 of 29
Show 27 more
- Best colleges for education in Wisconsin#1 of 29
- Best colleges for biology and pre-med in Wisconsin#1 of 28
- Best colleges for mathematics in Wisconsin#1 of 28
- Best colleges for psychology in Wisconsin#1 of 28
- Best colleges for chemistry in Wisconsin#1 of 27
- Best colleges for communications and journalism in Wisconsin#1 of 27
- Best colleges for English in Wisconsin#1 of 27
- Best colleges for history in Wisconsin#1 of 27
- Best colleges for music in Wisconsin#1 of 25
- Best colleges for marketing in Wisconsin#1 of 24
- Best colleges for nursing in Wisconsin#1 of 24
- Best colleges for political science and pre-law in Wisconsin#1 of 23
- Best colleges for exercise science and kinesiology in Wisconsin#1 of 21
- Best colleges for finance in Wisconsin#1 of 20
- Best colleges for economics in Wisconsin#1 of 19
- Best colleges for engineering in Wisconsin#1 of 16
- Best colleges for social work in Wisconsin#1 of 16
- Best value colleges in Wisconsin#1 of 15
- Best value colleges in the Midwest in Wisconsin#1 of 15
- Colleges with the best earnings for the price in Wisconsin#1 of 15
- Colleges where the most freshmen return in Wisconsin#1 of 15
- Lowest net price for middle-income families in Wisconsin#1 of 15
- Most selective colleges in Wisconsin#1 of 15
- Colleges that spend the most on teaching in Wisconsin#2 of 15
- Colleges that pay for themselves fastest in Wisconsin#2 of 13
- Colleges with the lowest student debt in Wisconsin#3 of 15
- Most affordable colleges with strong academics in Wisconsin#3 of 15
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.90%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.96%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,427 · ACT 31
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.18 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$21,417
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Full cost of attendance before aid: $28,679 a year.
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 36,797 |
|---|---|
| Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023 | Men 47% · Women 53% |
| First-generation students College Scorecard | 17% |
| First-year students from another state IPEDS, fall 2023 | 48% |
| Total students | 49,605 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | $17,354 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $28,679 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $20,484 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 90% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years | 71% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years | 72% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years | 84% |
| First-year retention | 96% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $73,792 |
| Admission rate | 45% |
| Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24 | $70 |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 16% |
| Average SAT | 1427 |
|---|---|
| SAT reading & writing | 670–740 |
| SAT math | 710–780 |
| ACT composite | 29–33 |
| Test policy | Considered but not required |
Value: Exceptional · Top 7% (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Real Estate | |
| Computer engineering | |
| Computing and information science | |
| Industrial Engineering | |
| Finance | |
| International business | |
| Management science | |
| Insurance | |
| Nuclear Engineering | |
| Chemical Engineering | |
| Mathematics | |
| Accounting | |
| Business administration | |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | |
| Statistics | |
| Marketing | |
| Mechanical engineering | |
| Electrical engineering | |
| Engineering Mechanics | |
| Materials Engineering | |
| Civil engineering | |
| Nursing | |
| Food Science and Technology | |
| Economics | |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | |
| Agricultural business | |
| Agricultural Engineering | |
| Physics | |
| Journalism | |
| Kinesiology and exercise science | |
| Geological/Geophysical Engineering | |
| Biochemistry | |
| Agricultural Public Services | |
| Pre-law and legal studies | |
| Biology | |
| Genetics | |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | |
| Political science | |
| Design | |
| Chemistry | |
| Landscape Architecture | |
| Global studies | |
| Rehabilitation and therapy | |
| Speech-language pathology | |
| Communication studies | |
| Philosophy | |
| Geography | |
| Nutrition Sciences | |
| Family and human development | |
| Psychology | |
| Neuroscience | |
| Geology and earth science | |
| Romance languages | |
| History | |
| Sociology | |
| Allied health | |
| Animal Sciences | |
| Area studies | |
| Anthropology | |
| Social work | |
| English | |
| Natural resources and conservation | |
| Botany/Plant Biology | |
| Special education | |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | |
| Teacher education | |
| Ecology and evolutionary biology | |
| Ethnic and gender studies | |
| Fine arts | |
| Secondary education | |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Apparel and Textiles, Applied mathematics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Classics, Dance, Data Science, East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Engineering Physics, Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies, Forestry, German, Information science, Interdisciplinary studies, Linguistics, Management information systems, Music, Other engineering, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration, Plant Sciences, Religious studies, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education, Soil Sciences, Sustainability Studies, Theatre.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Business | |
| Biology | |
| Engineering | |
| Social sciences | |
| Computer and information sciences |
Campus life
| Setting | City |
|---|---|
| Part-time undergraduates | 5% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 3% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $14,124 |
| Sports | NCAA Division I · Big Ten Conference |
| ROTC | Army · Navy · Air Force |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 18 to 1 |
| Faculty who are full-time | 86%College Scorecard, fall 2023 |
| Endowment per student | $118,355IPEDS, 2023, per student |
| Dorm space | For about 24% of studentsBeds ÷ undergraduates; not how many live on campus |
| Nearest major airport | General Mitchell International Airport (MKE)About 77 miles away |
| Closer regional airport | Dane County Regional Truax Field (MSN)About 6 miles away |
| Town population | 278,001Census, 2020–2024 |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | MadisonIn or next to this city |
| Typical weather | 19°F in January · 72°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Uw Arboretum - Madison, WI, about 3 miles away |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Campus safety reports
On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.
| Category | This campus | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|
| Rape | 0.37 | 0.07 |
| Robbery | 0.06 | 0.01 |
| Aggravated assault | 0.59 | 0.04 |
| Burglary | 0.31 | 0.08 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 0.72 | 0.15 |
Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.
Questions families ask
- What is University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Compass Score?
- Exceptional (grade A). It ranks in the top 6% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does University of Wisconsin-Madison cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is $17,354 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into University of Wisconsin-Madison?
- University of Wisconsin-Madison admitted 45% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do University of Wisconsin-Madison’s graduates do?
- 90% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $73,792; the median federal debt at graduation is $20,484.
Ask the school
Something you want to know that isn’t on this page? Ask it here. We send it to the school, and their answer appears on this page. Your name is never shared.
Reviews
Personal experiences from signed-in readers. Reviews are moderated automatically and never change a school’s grades.
No reviews yet.
Sign in to write a review.
My rating and notes
Sign in or create a free account to rate this school privately, keep notes, and save it to your list.
About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 240444
- Carnegie classification: Doctoral university (very high research)
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
- Report an error or a newer source
- Respond as this school
Colleges like this one
The same kind of school first, then the closest in selectivity, size and cost.
Compare side by side: University of Wisconsin-Madison vs University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · University of Wisconsin-Madison vs University of Washington-Seattle Campus · University of Wisconsin-Madison vs University of Maryland-College Park · University of Wisconsin-Madison vs University of Georgia
More in Wisconsin · Wisconsin rankings