# University of Wisconsin-Madison

Public college in Madison, WI. IPEDS ID 240444.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/university-of-wisconsin-madison.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 45% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $17,354 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 90%; beats 100% of WI colleges and 96% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $73,792; beats 92% of WI colleges and 88% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $18,058

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $4,200 |
| 30-48k | $4,101 |
| 48-75k | $8,134 |
| 75-110k | $17,763 |
| 110k+ | $27,292 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, in-state. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.2 years on average (73% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $73,792 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $37,564 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in WI (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $4,200 | $17,640 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $4,101 | $17,224 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $8,134 | $34,163 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $17,763 | $74,605 | 2.1 years |
| 110k+ | $27,292 | $114,626 | 3.2 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $28,679 in-state; about $59,179 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $11,603 in-state, $42,103 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $13,500; books: $1,100

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 670–740; SAT math: 710–780; ACT: 29–33 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 63,505 applicants, 27,529 admitted, 7,964 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 45%, ACT 29–33 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 43%, ACT 28–32 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (99 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate | $73,239 | $120,483 | $20,500 |
| Computer Engineering | not reported | $120,068 | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $80,566 | $119,655 | $22,500 |
| Industrial Engineering | $80,435 | $110,711 | $23,577 |
| Finance | $68,681 | $107,207 | $21,500 |
| International Business | $66,591 | $106,783 | $14,000 |
| Management Science / Analytics | $83,260 | $106,521 | $22,250 |
| Insurance | $78,796 | $105,992 | $20,500 |
| Nuclear Engineering | not reported | $102,449 | not reported |
| Chemical Engineering | $85,945 | $101,676 | $21,947 |
| Mathematics | $67,744 | $101,438 | $20,500 |
| Accounting | $68,909 | $101,390 | $21,294 |
| Business Administration | $67,699 | $100,005 | $20,500 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $74,094 | $99,762 | $20,492 |
| Statistics | $64,684 | $99,210 | $26,000 |
| Marketing | $65,224 | $96,148 | $20,500 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $74,611 | $95,114 | $20,500 |
| Electrical Engineering | $82,018 | $95,059 | $23,250 |
| Engineering Mechanics | $72,612 | $92,276 | $26,432 |
| Materials Engineering | $76,662 | $91,265 | $20,676 |
| Civil Engineering | $71,246 | $87,691 | $23,250 |
| Nursing | $75,513 | $85,579 | $25,000 |
| Food Science and Technology | not reported | $85,445 | not reported |
| Economics | $54,495 | $85,366 | $20,750 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations | $57,760 | $82,081 | $21,630 |
| Agricultural Business | $49,868 | $81,655 | $14,000 |
| Agricultural Engineering | $67,746 | $78,368 | $23,500 |
| Physics | $36,878 | $77,380 | $20,500 |
| Journalism | $40,942 | $75,967 | $23,250 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $29,866 | $74,963 | $26,000 |
| Geological / Geophysical Engineering | not reported | $73,337 | not reported |
| Biochemistry | $44,074 | $72,988 | $20,948 |
| Agricultural Public Services | $48,092 | $71,726 | $17,460 |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | $41,144 | $70,123 | $20,980 |
| Biology | $35,798 | $69,005 | $20,500 |
| Genetics | $38,388 | $68,402 | $20,000 |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | $49,186 | $68,397 | $23,480 |
| Political Science | $42,063 | $66,148 | $22,000 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | $49,780 | $65,874 | $20,875 |
| Chemistry | $48,886 | $64,734 | $26,043 |
| Landscape Architecture | not reported | $63,759 | not reported |
| International / Global Studies | $40,594 | $63,452 | $20,469 |
| Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences | $32,049 | $63,061 | $23,982 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $14,668 | $61,737 | $25,952 |
| Communications | $37,286 | $61,270 | $23,250 |
| Philosophy | $35,975 | $61,186 | $24,216 |
| Geography | $42,997 | $59,424 | $20,250 |
| Nutrition Science | $34,504 | $59,329 | $20,500 |
| Human Development and Family Studies | $34,149 | $59,044 | $21,250 |
| Psychology | $31,985 | $58,901 | $21,215 |
| Neuroscience | $31,687 | $58,824 | $21,750 |
| Geology / Earth Science | $43,068 | $58,771 | $25,000 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $35,720 | $58,565 | $20,250 |
| History | $35,959 | $58,343 | $20,909 |
| Sociology | $35,889 | $58,007 | $17,802 |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | $57,745 | $27,000 |
| Animal Sciences | $44,354 | $57,605 | $26,000 |
| Area Studies | not reported | $55,733 | $20,850 |
| Anthropology | not reported | $54,773 | $19,775 |
| Social Work | not reported | $54,375 | $21,398 |
| English | $28,526 | $53,197 | $20,500 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | $28,824 | $52,631 | $19,500 |
| Botany / Plant Biology | not reported | $50,963 | not reported |
| Special Education | $50,174 | $50,302 | $22,863 |
| Zoology / Animal Biology | $23,888 | $50,080 | $24,872 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $45,906 | $49,640 | $23,000 |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | $28,856 | $49,602 | $19,500 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | $28,841 | $48,934 | $19,750 |
| Studio Art | $30,503 | $48,684 | $19,316 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $45,966 | $48,435 | $27,000 |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | not reported | $45,212 | not reported |
| Plant Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Soil Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Forestry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Information Science / Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Apparel and Textiles | $33,016 | not reported | $26,000 |
| Pharmacology and Toxicology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sustainability Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Data Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | $45,783 | not reported | $19,500 |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | $36,790 | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Information Systems | $73,506 | not reported | $20,750 |

## Major to career
- Finance → Financial analyst: median wage $103,750 (Madison, WI), $95,570 (WI), $102,740 (U.S.)
- Biology → Biological technician: median wage $51,750 (Madison, WI), $51,750 (WI), $57,510 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).