University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI, USA

Admissions

Calculate your chances of getting into University of Wisconsin-Madison - Madison

Find your best-fit schools with our best-in-class chances calculator.

Get your chances

Can I Get In?

college chances

Key Admission Stats

Institution Type
Public
  • Coed

Need Aware

This school may consider an applicant’s financial situation when deciding admission

Level of Institution
4 Year
Campus Setting
Major city
0
100
60%
Acceptance Rate
53,781
Students Applied
53%
Transfer Acceptance Rate
1154
Transfer Students Admitted

Admissions Requirements

SAT
Item is not checked
No
ACT
Item is not checked
No
SAT Subject Tests
Item is checked
Yes
AP Course Credit
Item is checked
Yes
Dual Enrollment
Item is checked
Yes
Transcript
Item is checked
Yes

Important Deadlines

Application TypeApplication DeadlineReply Deadline
Early Action Acceptance is not binding, but student will receive admissions decision earlier.November 1
Fall Regular DecisionJanuary 15May 1
Spring Regular DecisionOctober 1
Other
Fall Transfer Priority Deadline
February 1
Test Optional
Item is checked
Yes
Application Fee
$60
Fee waivers available
Rolling Admissions
Item is not checked
No

Admitted Student Stats

In-State Students
45%
Out-Of-State Students
46%
US States Represented
55
Countries Represented
97
55%
Submitting ACT
15%
Submitting SAT
Average ACT Composite: 30
0
36
Average SAT Composite: 1371
0
1600
SAT Percentiles

Math
25th
680
75th
780
Reading
25th
640
75th
720
3.90
Average GPA
Students Enrolled By GPA

3.75+
80%
3.50 - 3.74
15%
3.25 - 3.49
4%
3.00 - 3.24
1%
Students Enrolled By Class Rank

Top 10%
54
Top 25%
87
Top 50%
99
Students Enrolled By Household Income

< $30k
222
$30k - $48k
231
$48k - $75k
306
$75k - $110k
336
$110k+
755

Admissions Resources

Admissions: visit page
Admissions Email: [email protected]
Admissions Telephone: 608-262-3961
For International Student Services: visit page
For Students with Disabilities: visit page
For Veteran Services: visit page

What Students Are Saying

Apply early, I really believe this will increase your chances of getting accepted and will get you a response a lot faster so you can make your decision. Really work to get a high ACT score and writing a good admissions essay.
Hannah from Andover, MN
Do your best in high school, and don't blow off senior year! Take a lot of AP and honors classes to show that you are capable of performing well at the college level, and make sure to take the tests to get college credit. I am technically a sophomore even though it is my first year since I had so many AP credits, and this is a huge benefit in the long run since you will always be among the first to pick your classes! Also, never count yourself out and not apply just cause of GPA and ACT scores, take as many leadership roles as possible in clubs and activities and do service hours, in addition to spending a lot of time on essays. This will greatly increase your chances of admission!
Austin from Downers Grove, IL
Make sure you are prepared to step up to the plate and earn your grades. In high school it is easy to put in minimum effort and obtain perfect grades, but now that you are at the university level it is necessary for you to be at the top of your game. You need to be equipped for major studying and late nights in order to achieve a good GPA.
Kristin from Madison, WI
The school is large, but that doesn't mean that you have to feel overwhelmed here. When you break down all the academic programs you will most likely end up in a relatively small group of students. Go to the activities fair and find something to get involved with, but DO NOT take on too much. Choose one or two extra-curricular activities at one time. Freshman year is very hard for many students and often grades will show this. It will help you to have a couple of outlets to have some fun, but it will hurt you if you never have time to study. On that note - make sure you are studying and doing your work everyday. Procrastinating may get you by in high school but for the vast majority of people it doesn't work like that at Madison.
Kelsey from Andover, MN
Expect greatness. Your classes will be hard, but living on your own will be harder. Madison is a great town with plenty of people to befriend. Network as much as possible
Louie from WI
Never say no to an experience. There's so many fun things to do that you might not even know of, so if you're offered to do something on campus with friends, do it! It's almost guaranteed you will enjoy yourself.
Cordell from Barneveld, WI
The best tip that I can give to a prospective student is to try and find your niche on campus. Once you find your community, even a campus as big as UW- Madison can feel like home away from home.
Raquel from Chicago, IL
Apply early! Also, with your application, if you cant remember what you wrote about a few weeks after you write your essay, the admissions dept. will not feel like your application is a standout. Make sure you show your true self, and really take time to think of a creative and exciting essay.
Elise from Milwaukee, WI
Get involved! Everyone who I've met at UW has been a leader in some form or another. I'm not saying you have to be captain of the lacrosse team, but be an active contributor to the lacrosse team! Leadership skills will not only help you succeed at UW, but in life as well so it is best to start early!

Study! Develop those study skills early because believe me Madison is not like high school anymore. Get to know your teachers so you can establish a relationship with them (you do need a strong letter of recommendation).

Visit Madison! Make sure you see it. Most kids will write it off as a huge school taught by TAs that only cares about their grad students. This is far from true. As someone who easily gets lost, it's not as bad as it looks. If you visit, be sure to attend a class! Most lectures are rather large and it is easy to sneak in and see the academic atmosphere.
Katie from Madison, WI
This was my safety school since it has around a 50% acceptance rate. Let me tell you, it is not an easy school like I thought it was going to be. The school maintains very high academic standards and a great reputation for research despite the relatively high acceptance rate (and its reputation for partying). There are many opportunities here for the dedicated scholar-- and a lot of lit parties.
Hannah