| Location: | Midwest |
| Setting: | Mid-size City Setting |
| Type: | Public |
| Size: | Very Large (+10,000 Undergrad) |
| Mascot: | Badgers |
| Nicknames: | Madison, UW |
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is Wisconsin's comprehensive teaching and research university with a statewide, national, and international mission, offering programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels in a wide range of fields, while engaging in extensive scholarly research, continuing adult education, and public service. The primary purpose of the University of Wisconsin-Madison is to provide a learning environment in which faculty, staff, and students can discover, examine critically, preserve, and transmit the knowledge, wisdom, and values that will help ensure the survival of this and future generations and improve the quality of life for all. The University seeks to help students to develop an understanding and appreciation for the complex cultural and physical worlds in which they live and to realize their highest potential of intellectual, physical, and human development. It also seeks to attract and serve students from diverse social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds and to be sensitive and responsive to those groups which have been underserved by higher education.
< CollapseThe University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1848, enrollment is over 42,000 students, of whom approximately 29,000 are undergraduates. The UW-Madison is the flagship school of the University of Wisconsin System.
A public, land-grant university, the University of Wisconsin is categorized as an RU/VH Research University (very high research activity) in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher EducationTM. The university offers a wide spectrum of scholarly studies, professional programs, and student activities. It also operates an extension service (UWEX) that provides educational resources to residents, businesses, and communities throughout the state.
Often referred to as a "Public Ivy," UW-Madison ranked second among American universities in research and development expenditures for the 2006 fiscal year, generating more than $800 million in research, according to statistics compiled by the National Science Foundation. U.S. News & World Report ranked UW as the eighth-best public university in the United States in 2007.
Wisconsin's NCAA Division I athletic teams are called the Badgers. They compete in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except ice hockey, where they participate in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
The university had its official beginnings when Wisconsin was incorporated as a state in 1848. Article X, Section B of the Wisconsin Constitution provided for "the establishment of a state university, at or near the seat of state government..." On July 26, 1848, Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin's first governor, signed the act that formally created the University of Wisconsin. The Board of Regents held their first meeting in the library room of the Capitol on October 7, and provided John W. Sterling a $500 per-annum salary to become the university's first professor (mathematics). The first class of 17 students met at Madison Female Academy on February 5, 1849. Regents continued to discuss the construction of the university and soon a campus site was selected. It was an area of 50 acres (200,000 m²) "bounded north by Fourth lake, east by a street to be opened at right angles with King street," State Street "south by Mineral Point Road (University Avenue), and west by a carriage-way from said road to the lake." The regents' building plans called for a "main edifice fronting towards the Capitol, three stories high, surmounted by an observatory for astronomical observations." This building, University Hall, now known as Bascom Hall, was finally completed in 1859. A fire later destroyed the building's dome, which was never replaced. North Hall, constructed in 1851, was actually the first building on campus. In 1854, Levi Booth and Charles T. Wakeley became the first graduates of the university, and in 1892 the university awarded its first Ph.D. to future university president Charles R. Van Hise.
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Top States for Incoming Freshman
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| Percent of Students International: | 8% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 21% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | No |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (Big Ten Conference) Basketball (Big Ten Conference) Track (Big Ten Conference) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | In-State | Out-of-State | |
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 6,280 | $ 20,280 | |
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 5,618 | $ 19,618 | |
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 662 | $ 662 | |
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 3,508 | 12% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 2,389 | 36% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 3,055 | 25% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 4,264 | 35% | |
Any Aid: |
62% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 71% (Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 30% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 560, Math: 600 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 670, Math: 700 |
| ACT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting ACT Scores: | 86% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Composite: 26, Verbal: 25, Math: 25 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Composite: 30, Verbal: 30, Math: 30 |
| Application Fee: | $ 35.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Recommended |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Required |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Required |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Recommended |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
College Advice
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and I went on their website to get an application (i will be a senior in high school this fall) and on the downloadable application, it said Application:2007-2008. does this mean that this is the application for 2007/2008 or does it mean that this was the application for this past years seniors who will be freshmen in 2007/2008?
14 months ago
Best Answer
It most likely means that it's the application for the 2007-2008 academic year, beginning this fall. If you're just starting your last year of high school, you want the 2008-2009 application.
If I understand your question right, you are a bit ahead of where most people would be -- when I applied to college about six years ago, December of the year before was the deadline for "Early Decision" applications.
I would contact the people in the admissions department regarding when you can give them a 2008-2009 application. Their job is to sell the college to you to get you to file an application, so they'll be more than happy to talk to you. If you just wanted a look at the application and aren't sending it to them right away, it probably doesn't change much from year to year.
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My GPA is 3.3. Which one will have slightly bigger chance for me go get in?
PS. I am an international student and I am going there as a freshman in 2008.
15 months ago
Best Answer
You have a good chance of getting into both. But as you stated SLIGHTLY better well University of Wisconsin Madison should be slightly easier to get into.
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18 months ago
Best Answer
Madsion is crazy, i didnt go to school there but a lot of my friends did and i always had a blast there. The academics are great and the sports teams aren't too bad either.
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I'm NOT a fan of drinking, but I might, for financial reasons, have to pick an in-state school. With my academic record, I want a higher-ranked academic school, and I'm a fan of Big-Ten athletics, so my only real choice is Madison. Will I be a loser if I don't drink?
19 months ago
Best Answer
The nice thing about attending a large, public university is that, from a pure statistical viewpoint, there will be more people who are like you. You might get some minor ribbing from your roommates if they are the wild, partying type, but there will be plenty of opportunities to socialize and have fun in booze-less settings. Even if you do go to a party, it's been my experience that as long as you're sociable and don't act like a hermit, most people won't care if you're drinking a Cap n' Coke or a bottled water.
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Best Answer
Yes! I went here for undergrad. The school and city of Madison are both awesome. It is such a great mix of everything. The school is well ranked in both academics and party wise. The city is filled with liberals, but also has a good mix of everything else. I loved the fact that I could walk to campus quickly from my downtown apartment. That was the biggest deciding factor for me, because I didn't want to go to a university in the middle of a cornfield! All students get a free bus pass, so I never needed a car the entire time I was there. The university has an excellent engineering school, education school, and business school. Good luck!!
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I've heard that it is really difficult to get into and my grades are only average so I don't know if I should try to apply. On the other hand, it is one of the top party schools?
19 months ago
Best Answer
I went here for undergrad, and it was awesome. Even if you aren't sure you will get in, you should still apply, just in case. Just apply to a few backup schools, so you will for sure have somewhere to go come fall. Whitewater and Milwaukee are also good UW schools to try. If you have any ethnic background besides Caucasian, you should make sure to put that on your application, it will help! If you ACT is above the school's average, say at least a 25, you have a better chance as well. If you are a Wisconsin resident, that will also help your chances. Yes, it is one of the TOP party schools, but make sure you spend some time studying too, or your time at the school will be short! Good luck and have fun!
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Question:
University of Wisconsin?
I am thinking about going to University of Wisconsin - Madison. Does anyone have anything to say about the college? i mean i know its a good college in ratings and academically, but is it a nice college to live at? things to do? people nice and stuff? how are the classes and teachers? thanks soooooo much!
27 months ago
Best Answer
oh please...minnesota. anybody who's got the chance to go to uw or u of m alwayas goes to wisconsin. madison is the number one party school in the nation, the 16th best university in the WORLD...(minnesota is somewhere in the 30's)...bottom line...you'll learn more and have more fun here than any place in the world.
trust me
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not exactly if i should go there or not
28 months ago
Best Answer
definitely a party school. The Fall (football season) is the best ... football saturdays are absolutely crazy on Breese, Randall, and Regent Street. Badger fans are the greatest and most crazy. On game days, we start drinking at like 9am ... and go all day. its crazy. its definitely earned its title as the number 2 party school in the nation.
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Best Answer
I lived in Cole Hall (Ross house). This is part of the Lakeshore dorms. I loved it there. The lake is right there, a very nice gym down the street, walking / biking paths, grassy areas to hang out on / study on, lots of women in bathing suits during the late spring ;) Southeast side is closer to the center of campus but that is the only upside of southeast.
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