University Of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Wisconsin-Madison's program mix is anchored in Business, which accounts for 17% of degree output — the largest concentration among the institution's 92 programs serving roughly 9,733 students annually. Social Sciences represents 11% of graduates and Engineering accounts for 10%, giving the university a business-and-STEM-balanced portfolio that feeds directly into high-demand labor markets.

The combination of broad program scale and applied-professional concentration shapes the institution's overall earnings profile. Among the largest programs, Artificial Intelligence program graduates 733 students annually with median earnings of $119,655 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #20 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The Economics program graduates 546 students with median earnings of $85,366, while The Psychology, General program graduates 495 students earning $58,901. On the earnings side, Artificial Intelligence leads with median earnings of $119,655 from a cohort of 733 graduates, and Azimuth ranks the program #20 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Finance follows at $107,207 with 463 graduates, and Digital Marketing posts median earnings of $96,148 from 248 graduates — [per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/). The highest-earning programs at University of Wisconsin-Madison cluster in engineering, computer science, and quantitative business fields — sectors where the [supply-demand map](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) shows sustained employer demand and strong wage growth nationally.

Several of the institution's largest programs, including Finance and Biology, General, feed high-mobility career pathways where graduates enter the national labor market directly. Programs like Nursing and Economics, with median earnings of $85,579 and $85,366 respectively, reflect the depth of applied-quantitative strength across the university's degree portfolio. ```

University of Wisconsin-Madison's published cost of attendance is $28,679, but need-based aid reshapes that figure meaningfully across income levels. Low-income families pay approximately $4,200 per year in net price, middle-income families see annual costs around $8,134, and higher-income families pay approximately $27,292.

Azimuth ranks University of Wisconsin-Madison #482 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

Wisconsin's public-tuition structure and broad financial aid programs help keep costs accessible for a wide range of families. Need-based aid covers a meaningful share of cost for lower- and middle-income students, and the gap between sticker price and what most families actually pay is a central part of the [net price illusion](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) that families should understand before comparing costs across institutions.

Students and families are encouraged to use the net price calculator and FAFSA to determine their individual aid eligibility. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $20,484, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $28,364; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.

For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $78,974, median federal debt of $20,484 projects to a monthly payment of about $231 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of University of Wisconsin-Madison earn median earnings of $78,974 four years after enrollment, placing University of Wisconsin-Madison in the 86.2 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $65,228 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band).

Graduates earn about $2,192 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing University of Wisconsin-Madison in the 48.6 percentile for [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks University of Wisconsin-Madison #205 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings pattern at University of Wisconsin-Madison is anchored by Artificial Intelligence, which combines large cohort scale with strong pay to form the largest aggregate-return program. Business is the dominant program family, representing 17% of degree output, followed by Social Sciences at 11% and Engineering at 10%.

Among the highest-earning programs, Azimuth ranks Artificial Intelligence #20 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 733 graduates earning median earnings of $119,655 — 1.3x the national benchmark for the field. The Economics program graduates 546 students with median earnings of $85,366, and Azimuth ranks Psychology, General #45 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $58,901.

The breadth of strong programs across business, quantitative, and applied fields helps explain why University of Wisconsin-Madison's institution-level earnings consistently place well above the peer median.