University of Wisconsin-Madison acceptance rate and admissions statistics
University of Wisconsin-Madison admitted 30,167 of 73,912 first-year applicants in its 2025-26 Common Data Set, an official acceptance rate of 40.8%. Every number below comes from the college’s own Common Data Set, each year linked to its document; a figure the college leaves blank says “Not published”, and the notes at the foot of the page say where a total is the sum of rows the college printed.
What did admitted applicants have? How to get into University of Wisconsin-Madison counts the grades, scores and activities they posted.
University of Wisconsin-Madison acceptance rate by year
| CDS year | Applied | Admitted | Acceptance rate | Enrolled | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 73,912 | 30,167 | 40.8% | 8,495 | 28.2% |
| 2024-25 | 65,933 | 29,784 | 45.2% | 8,514 | 28.6% |
| 2023-24 | 63,537 | 27,527 | 43.3% | 7,966 | 28.9% |
Acceptance rate is admitted divided by applied; yield is enrolled divided by admitted. Both are computed by Aristo Scholars from the two counts printed beside them.
Early decision at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Early decision counts: Not published. University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Common Data Set prints no early decision applicant or admit counts (section C21) for any year shown.
University of Wisconsin-Madison waitlist
University of Wisconsin-Madison SAT and ACT scores
What University of Wisconsin-Madison says matters in admission
In section C7 each college rates its own admission factors as Very Important, Important, Considered or Not Considered. These are the factors University of Wisconsin-Madison rated in the top two tiers.
- 2025-26
- Very important: Rigor of secondary school record, Academic GPA
- Important: Application essay, Recommendations, Extracurricular activities, Character/personal qualities, State residency
- 2024-25
- Very important: Rigor of secondary school record, Academic GPA
- Important: Application essay, Recommendations, Extracurricular activities, Character/personal qualities, State residency
- 2023-24
- Very important: Rigor of secondary school record, Academic GPA
- Important: Recommendations, Application essay, Extracurricular activities, Character/personal qualities, State residency
University of Wisconsin-Madison testing policy for students applying in 2026-27
Test optional: SAT/ACT scores are not required for applicants for Spring 2027, Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 (test optional through the spring 2028 term).
From University of Wisconsin-Madison’s admissions site, read 2026-11-05. Policies change; the college’s page is the authority.
How these numbers were read
UW-Madison has no early decision plan. The 2024-25 C1 total rows print 0, so that year's totals are the sums of the gender rows.
University of Wisconsin-Madison acceptance rate questions
- What is the University of Wisconsin-Madison acceptance rate?
- University of Wisconsin-Madison's Common Data Set for 2025-26 reports 73,912 first-year applicants and 30,167 admitted, an acceptance rate of 40.8%. It was 45.2% in 2024-25 and 43.3% in 2023-24.
- What SAT scores do University of Wisconsin-Madison students have?
- In 2025-26, the middle half of enrolled first-year students who submitted the SAT scored 1400 to 1490, and ACT submitters scored 29 to 33. 11.8% of enrolled students submitted an SAT score.
- How many students get off the University of Wisconsin-Madison waitlist?
- In 2025-26, University of Wisconsin-Madison offered 6,476 applicants a place on the waitlist; 4,317 accepted one, and 1,088 were admitted from it.
- Does University of Wisconsin-Madison require the SAT or ACT for students applying in 2026-27?
- Test optional: SAT/ACT scores are not required for applicants for Spring 2027, Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 (test optional through the spring 2028 term).
Applying to University of Wisconsin-Madison?
An acceptance rate describes the whole pool, not one student. A Specialist can read your student’s file against what University of Wisconsin-Madison says it weighs.
Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison Common Data Set, sections C1, C2, C7, C9 and C21, each year linked above, read 2026-11-05. Aristo Scholars is not affiliated with University of Wisconsin-Madison. All official acceptance rates