UW Madison Acceptance Rate

Short answer

• For the fall 2025 entering class, the University of Wisconsin-Madison first-year acceptance rate was 40.8 percent. The university received a record 73,912 first-year applications and admitted 30,167 applicants. About 8,500 of those admitted students enrolled, a yield of about 28 percent. That headline rate covers first-year undergraduate admission only. It does not describe transfer or graduate admission, and it does not predict any single applicant's result. UW-Madison reviews applications holistically, and test scores were optional for applicants through the spring 2028 term.

What the acceptance rate means

An acceptance rate is the number of applicants offered admission divided by the total number of applicants in the same cycle, expressed as a percentage. A rate of 40.8 percent means about 41 out of every 100 first-year applicants in that cycle received an offer. It does not mean that 41 percent of applicants with a particular GPA were admitted, or that any applicant has a 40.8 percent chance. Individual results depend on the full application and on that cycle’s applicant pool.

This matters because UW-Madison is a large public research university. When applications rise faster than the entering class, the rate falls even if the university admits a similar number of students. That is what happened between fall 2024 and fall 2025. Readers should therefore look at applications, offers, and enrolled students together, not at the rate alone. The first-year rate is also separate from transfer and graduate rates, which use different pools and standards.

The fall 2025 figures

UW-Madison News reported on September 25, 2025 that the fall 2025 freshman class was selected from a record 73,912 freshman applications, a 12 percent increase over the previous year. A summary of the university’s Common Data Set for 2025-26 reports the same counts, 73,912 applicants and 30,167 admitted students, for a rate of 40.8 percent. Dividing 30,167 by 73,912 gives 0.408, which confirms the published percentage.

The incoming freshman class was exactly 8,500 students, the fourth largest class ever at the university, according to UW-Madison News. The Common Data Set summary reports a closely related enrolled figure of 8,495, a small difference that likely reflects the reporting date or counting rule. This article uses about 8,500 for class size and about 28 percent for yield, the share of admitted students who enrolled. A yield well below 100 percent is normal, because many admitted students hold offers from several universities and can enroll at only one.

Fall 2025 first-year admission	Figure
Applications received	73,912
Applicants admitted	30,167
Acceptance rate	40.8 percent
Freshman class enrolled	About 8,500
Yield	About 28 percent

These figures describe first-year undergraduate applicants for fall 2025 only. They should not be carried forward as the rate for fall 2026 or fall 2027.

Fall 2025 compared with fall 2024

For fall 2024, federal IPEDS data show 65,894 first-year applicants, 29,782 admitted students, and 8,514 enrolled students, for a rate of 45.2 percent and a yield of 28.6 percent. Applications then rose by 8,018 to 73,912 in fall 2025, while offers rose by only 385 to 30,167 and enrollment stayed almost flat at about 8,500. The rate therefore fell by 4.4 percentage points, even though the university admitted slightly more students than the year before.

First-year admission	Fall 2024, IPEDS	Fall 2025
Applications	65,894	73,912
Admitted	29,782	30,167
Acceptance rate	45.2 percent	40.8 percent
Enrolled	8,514	About 8,500

A falling rate does not automatically mean the university became dramatically harder for every kind of applicant. It can simply mean more people applied for roughly the same number of places. For the class that enrolled in fall 2023, UW-Madison received 63,537 applications and admitted 27,527 students, a rate of 43.3 percent. Any article that quotes one UW Madison acceptance rate without a year attached is therefore incomplete.

Why websites show different rates

Search results commonly show 41 percent, 43 percent, 43.3 percent, and 45.2 percent for UW-Madison. In most cases these describe different cycles, not conflicting facts. The 45.2 percent figure is the fall 2024 IPEDS rate. The 43.3 percent figure is the fall 2023 rate. The 40.8 percent figure is the fall 2025 rate, and 41 percent is that same figure rounded. A page showing a range such as 43 to 45 percent is usually summarizing more than one recent cycle.

To judge any rate page, ask three questions. Which cycle does it describe. Does it cover first-year, transfer, graduate, or all applicants combined. Does it cite a primary source such as the Common Data Set, IPEDS, or a university news release. If a page gives no cycle and no source, treat its number as a starting point, not a final answer. Also keep the acceptance rate distinct from yield. The rate describes how selective the offer stage was. Yield describes how many admitted students chose to attend.

Is UW-Madison hard to get into

UW-Madison is selective, but not among the most selective universities in the United States by rate alone. A fall 2025 rate of 40.8 percent places it in the moderately selective to selective range for a large public university. Many large public universities admit a majority of applicants, while the most selective private universities admit a much smaller share. UW-Madison sits between those poles, and selectivity is not uniform inside the university. Admission expectations may be different for direct entry programs in business, engineering, dance, and music.

Residency also shapes the class. For fall 2025, the entering class included 3,828 Wisconsin resident students, the most since 2021, and the university has committed since 2015 to enrolling at least 3,600 Wisconsin residents in each incoming freshman class. The fall 2025 summary used here does not break the 40.8 percent rate into resident, nonresident, and international rates, so this article does not publish a residency specific rate for fall 2025. Readers should be cautious about pages that quote precise residency rates for fall 2025 without citing the underlying Common Data Set tables.

Wisconsin residents and the Wisconsin Guarantee

The fall 2025 class represents every one of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and more than 50 countries outside the United States, according to UW-Madison News. That spread reflects the university’s public mission, often summarized as the Wisconsin Idea: teaching and research should benefit people beyond the campus.

Wisconsin applicants should note one fall 2025 development. UW-Madison News reported that 1,713 applications from Wisconsin high school students met the provisions of the new Wisconsin Guarantee program, which guaranteed admission to first-year applicants from Wisconsin who met its eligibility requirements. Sixteen percent of Wisconsin resident applicants were Wisconsin Guarantee eligible. Residency alone does not guarantee admission. Eligibility depends on meeting the program’s stated rules, so applicants who may qualify should check the current program rules on the university’s own pages.

The fall 2025 class also included 1,595 first-generation students, the highest number since 2005, and a record high 26 percent receiving Federal Pell Grants. About two thirds of UW-Madison undergraduates finish their degrees with zero student loan debt, according to the same release, and a majority graduate in less than four years. Those figures describe enrolled students, not applicants, and they are not a promise about any individual student’s aid or graduation timeline.

GPA and coursework

UW-Madison does not publish a minimum GPA, and it does not base a decision on GPA alone. The Office of Admissions and Recruitment states that it typically sees unweighted, academic GPAs between 3.8 and 4.0, and class rank in the 85th to 97th percentile. That is a typical range, not a cutoff. Being below it does not by itself rule out admission, and being inside it does not guarantee admission, because rigor, grade trends, essays, and program choice also matter.

The minimum coursework pattern for eligibility is 4 years of English, 3 years of math, 3 years of social science, 3 years of natural science, and 4 years of electives, for 17 credits in total. Math must include at least one year each of algebra, geometry, and advanced math with algebra or geometry prerequisites. Statistics, business math, and computer classes do not fulfill the math requirement as described by the university. Competitive applicants often take additional credits in core subjects, including the most challenging advanced level work their school offers, while maintaining a strong GPA.

Two years of the same world language in high school are highly recommended, because that pattern can fulfill the university world language requirement after enrollment. World language credit must appear on the transcript as credit from an accredited institution. UW-Madison also considers GPA and rank in the context of the applicant’s school, because schools use different scales and some do not rank students at all. Applicants should present grades 9 to 12 clearly and let a counselor explain any unusual grading or course availability issues where appropriate.

SAT and ACT scores

Score ranges below are middle 50 percent ranges for students who submitted scores. That means the middle half of submitters fell inside the range, about one quarter scored below it, and about one quarter scored above it. A middle 50 percent range is not a minimum.

For fall 2025, as summarized from the Common Data Set for 2025-26, the SAT composite middle 50 percent was 1400 to 1490, with a median of 1450, and only 12 percent of admitted students submitted SAT scores. The ACT composite middle 50 percent was 29 to 33, with a median of 31, and 29 percent of admitted students submitted ACT scores. When only a minority submit a test, the range describes that minority, not the whole admitted class.

For fall 2024, IPEDS data summarized on the same page show SAT evidence based reading and writing at 670 to 740 and SAT math at 710 to 780, with an ACT composite of 29 to 33. In fall 2024, the submit rates were 15 percent for the SAT and 29 percent for the ACT. Applicants deciding whether to submit scores should compare their scores with the most recent middle 50 percent, judge whether the scores strengthen the rest of the file, and allow time for official scores to arrive before the materials deadline. Test codes are 4656 for the ACT and 1846 for the SAT. Only the top composite is considered, and superscores are not considered.

The test optional policy

UW-Madison received authorization from the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents to waive the ACT or SAT requirement for first-year applicants through the spring 2028 term. In that window, including scores is optional, and the university states that applicants who do not submit scores are not disadvantaged in its evaluation process. Applicants indicate their choice at the time of application, and the university states that the choice is final.

The policy has limits. It applies through the spring 2028 term, with an application deadline of October 1, 2027 for that term, and no decision had been made, when the university FAQ page was written, about fall 2028 and beyond. The university recommends that students planning for fall 2028 and later take a standardized test and do as well as possible on it. ACT and SAT scores are not considered for transfer admission. English proficiency tests are separate: first-year applicants educated in non-English speaking countries must submit an official TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test score, unless English was the primary language of instruction in all four years of secondary school.

What else UW-Madison reviews

UW-Madison describes its review as holistic. It reviews extracurricular activities and their positive impact on the student, including activities, leadership, service, employment, talents, and interests. Depth and sustained commitment read more clearly than a long list of short term memberships with no role or result attached.

Essays matter for the same reason. The university uses essays to understand who the applicant is and what the applicant wants to accomplish as part of the community, and essays may also be used for program and scholarship review. Common Application users answer one first-year Common Application essay. Universities of Wisconsin Application users answer a prompt about the life experiences, talents, commitments, and interests they will bring to campus. All applicants also answer a UW-Madison prompt: why they want to attend UW-Madison, and why they are interested in their chosen major or majors, or their possible areas of interest if undecided. Strong answers are specific to programs, opportunities, or academic questions connected to the applicant’s record.

UW-Madison requires one recommendation from someone who can attest to academic ability, such as a teacher, school counselor, or faculty member, plus an optional second letter from another source such as an employer, coach, or mentor. Engineering applicants are encouraged to seek a math or science teacher. Letters must come directly from the school or recommender and expire after one year. For direct entry programs, applicants must list the program as their first choice major. Admission to the university does not guarantee direct admission to that program. Applicants also list a second choice major, which is considered if the first choice cannot be offered, so the second choice should be a major the applicant would genuinely study.

Deadlines, fees, and checklist

UW-Madison sets separate application and materials deadlines, and both must be met. For fall Early Action, the application deadline is November 1, the materials deadline is November 9, and decisions arrive on or before January 31. For fall Regular Decision, the application deadline is January 15, the materials deadline is January 22, and decisions arrive on or before March 31. For spring Regular Decision, the application deadline is October 1, the materials deadline is October 15, and decisions arrive on or before December 31. All materials must arrive by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on the deadline dates. Early Action is non-binding, with no commitment required until the national deadline of May 1.

The first-year application fee on the university’s current admissions pages is 80 dollars, non-refundable, with waivers for applicants with financial hardship. Older third party pages listing 70 dollars are out of date. The checklist is: choose one route only, the Common Application or the Universities of Wisconsin Application; provide course and grade information for grades 9 to 12; submit the required essays; arrange the required recommendation; add English proficiency scores or direct entry audition materials if applicable; and pay the fee or secure a waiver. The university notes that its system can take up to 72 hours to reflect a submitted application, and that applicants who submit within five days of a deadline will not receive a reminder about missing materials. Submit early.

International applicants should also check country specific transcript rules and English proficiency minima: 115 or higher on the Duolingo English Test and 6.5 or higher on IELTS. For TOEFL iBT, the published minimum is 80 for test dates on or before January 20, 2026 and 4.5 on the newer scale for test dates on or after January 21, 2026. English proficiency score reports cannot be older than two years at application, and the university does not superscore those exams. Verify current minima for your cycle before testing.

The waitlist

For fall 2025, 6,476 applicants were offered a waitlist place, 4,317 accepted a place, and 1,088 were later admitted. About two thirds of those offered a place joined it, and about one quarter of those who joined were admitted. About 9 percent of all applicants were offered a waitlist place. Those figures describe one cycle only, because waitlist outcomes move with yield and vary sharply year to year.

Treat a waitlist offer as a real but uncertain second chance, not a likely admission and not a rejection. Secure a place at another institution by its deadline, because a waitlist offer may arrive late and leave little time for housing, aid, and enrollment decisions. Decline promptly if you do not want to wait, so the place can go to another student.

Transfer admission

The 40.8 percent first-year rate does not apply to transfer applicants. A transfer student is anyone who attended another college or university after graduating from high school and who wishes to enroll in an undergraduate degree at UW-Madison. Eligibility requires completing, or being in the process of completing, at least 24 transferable semester hours of college level work after high school graduation. Advanced Placement, A Level, International Baccalaureate, and College Level Examination Program credit cannot count toward those 24 hours, and the university does not admit freshman level transfer students.

For fall 2025, UW-Madison received approximately 4,600 transfer applications, a nearly 4 percent increase and the second largest total in the past decade. Nearly 25 percent of that year’s transfer students were first-generation college students, and close to 18 percent came from Madison College. The release used here does not publish a transfer admit count for fall 2025, so this article does not state a transfer rate. Transfer review emphasizes college rigor, breadth, grade trends, and consistency, and high school performance matters less as college credits accumulate.

Cost and financial aid

For the 2025-26 academic year, UW-Madison undergraduate tuition was 10,506 dollars per year for Wisconsin residents and 42,531 dollars per year for nonresidents, according to the Bursar’s Office fall 2025 announcement. Those are tuition figures only, excluding segregated fees, housing, meals, books, and other expenses, and they describe one academic year. Check the Bursar’s announcement for your entry year instead of carrying them forward.

Aid can change net cost substantially. Programs named in university publications include Bucky’s Tuition Promise, Bucky’s Pell Pathway, the Badger Promise, and the Wisconsin Tribal Educational Promise. For fall 2025, a record high 26 percent of the incoming class received Federal Pell Grants. Aid depends on finances, residency, enrollment, and program eligibility. An offer of admission is not by itself a financial aid award.

Reading your own chances, and common mistakes

No article can give an individual applicant a probability of admission, and readers should be skeptical of any tool claiming to do so from a GPA and test score alone. Judge whether the whole file is coherent: rigorous core coursework, grades that hold up as difficulty rises, essays that explain why UW-Madison and why the chosen major, a recommendation from someone who knows the work, and activities showing sustained commitment. Choose Early Action only if the file will be complete and strong by November 1, with materials by November 9. Otherwise Regular Decision, with a January 15 application deadline, may produce the stronger file. The sources for this article do not publish separate Early Action and Regular Decision rates, so do not choose a round based on a rumored rate advantage.

Common mistakes are: quoting a rate without a year; applying the first-year rate to transfer or graduate admission; treating a middle 50 percent range as a minimum; assuming residency alone guarantees admission; and meeting the application deadline but missing the materials deadline. UW-Madison is selective enough at 40.8 percent for fall 2025 that no applicant should treat it as a certainty. Build a balanced list that includes institutions with higher acceptance rates where you would genuinely be happy to enroll.

Frequently asked questions

What is the UW Madison acceptance rate?

For fall 2025, the first-year acceptance rate was 40.8 percent: 73,912 applications, 30,167 admitted, about 8,500 enrolled. It covers first-year undergraduate admission for fall 2025 only.

What was the rate for fall 2024?

For fall 2024, the IPEDS rate was 45.2 percent: 65,894 applicants, 29,782 admitted, 8,514 enrolled. The fall 2025 rate fell mainly because applications rose by more than 8,000 while the class stayed close to its previous size.

Is UW-Madison hard to get into?

It is selective, at 40.8 percent for fall 2025, but not among the most selective universities by rate alone. Review is holistic, and expectations can be higher for direct entry programs in business, engineering, dance, and music.

What GPA do you need for UW-Madison?

There is no published minimum, and no decision rests on GPA alone. The university typically sees unweighted, academic GPAs between 3.8 and 4.0, and class rank in the 85th to 97th percentile, alongside rigor, trends, and school context.

What SAT and ACT scores do you need?

There is no published minimum, and scores are optional through the spring 2028 term. For fall 2025 submitters, the SAT composite middle 50 percent was 1400 to 1490 and the ACT composite was 29 to 33. Only 12 percent submitted SAT scores and 29 percent submitted ACT scores.

Is UW-Madison test optional?

Yes, for first-year applicants through the spring 2028 term, with an application deadline of October 1, 2027 for that term. Non-submitters are not disadvantaged under the stated policy, and the choice made on the application is final. Scores are not considered for transfer admission.

When are the application deadlines?

Fall Early Action: application November 1, materials November 9, decisions on or before January 31. Fall Regular Decision: application January 15, materials January 22, decisions on or before March 31. Spring Regular Decision: application October 1, materials October 15, decisions on or before December 31. All materials are due by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

How much is the application fee?

The current first-year fee on the university’s admissions pages is 80 dollars, non-refundable, with waivers for financial hardship. Older pages listing 70 dollars are out of date.

Does Wisconsin residency guarantee admission?

No. Wisconsin residents form a large share of each class, and the Wisconsin Guarantee guaranteed admission in fall 2025 to Wisconsin first-year applicants who met its eligibility rules. Check the current rules rather than assuming residency alone is enough.

What is the waitlist acceptance rate?

No single waitlist rate applies across cycles. For fall 2025, 6,476 were offered a place, 4,317 accepted, and 1,088 were admitted, about one quarter of those who joined. Outcomes vary sharply year to year.

Can you get in with a GPA below 3.8?

There is no cutoff, and review is holistic, so a GPA below the typical range does not automatically rule out admission. Rigorous courses, grade trends, essays, recommendations, and program choice all matter. Present the strongest complete file you can, and include other institutions where you would be happy to enroll.

Does UW-Madison prefer the Common Application?

No. The university does not prefer the Common Application over the Universities of Wisconsin Application. Choose one route only and use it through to submission.

Sources & references

• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Office of Admissions and Recruitment, Apply as a First-Year Student. Application and materials deadlines, application fee, required materials, typical GPA and class rank, test optional policy, and coursework requirements. Accessed and read 24 October 2026.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Office of Admissions and Recruitment, What We Look for in Our Applicants. Holistic review, grades and coursework, test scores, extracurriculars, essays, and direct entry programs. Accessed and read 24 October 2026.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Office of Admissions and Recruitment, Required Application Materials and Documents. First-year and transfer requirements, including the 24 transferable semester hour rule, English proficiency minima, and recommendation rules. Accessed and read 24 October 2026.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison News, Access and affordability drive record interest as UW-Madison welcomes new students from all 72 Wisconsin counties, September 25, 2025. Fall 2025 application total, class size, Wisconsin resident count, Wisconsin Guarantee figures, first-generation and Pell Grant figures, and transfer application total. Accessed and read 24 October 2026.
• Common Data Set summary for University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2025-26, as presented on the CollegeData.fyi school page, including IPEDS 2024 baseline tables. Fall 2025 admit counts and rate, SAT and ACT ranges and submission rates, waitlist figures, fall 2024 IPEDS counts and rate. Accessed and read 24 October 2026.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Bursar's Office, Fall 2025 Tuition Announcement. Undergraduate tuition for the 2025-26 academic year for Wisconsin residents and nonresidents. Accessed and read 24 October 2026.