1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [University of Wisconsin-Madison](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/) 4. / 5. Admissions & selectivity Admissions & selectivity Copy linkPrint brief # University of Wisconsin-Madison Acceptance Rate & Admissions Updated October 1, 2026 [Overview](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/outcomes/)Admissions[Majors](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-wisconsin-madison/similar/) **On this page**+ ## What is the acceptance rate at UW-Madison? UW-Madison’s reported acceptance rate is 45.2%. **Acceptance rate · Fall 2024** 45.2% Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle. First-year applicants and admitted students · CDS 2025-26 **Applicants** 73,912 **Admitted** 30,167 Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students. How to interpret the acceptance rate University of Wisconsin-Madison admitted 45.2% of applicants, a rate that sits well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 73,912 applicants, 30,167 admitted, and 8,495 enrolled first-year students. ## What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled UW-Madison students report? In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a 3.91 average high-school GPA among enrolled first-year students, based on the 94.0% who reported a GPA. Among the 36% of enrolled first-year students who reported a class rank, 58% were in the upper ten percent of their high-school class and 91% in the upper twenty-five percent. For the 12% of enrolled first-year students who submitted SAT scores, the middle half landed between 1400 and 1490. For the 29% who submitted ACT scores, the middle half fell between 29 and 33. Because score submission is uncommon, these ranges reflect a small subset of the entering class and do not represent cutoffs. Applicants should use the university’s 1400 to 1490 SAT range and 29 to 33 ACT range as context for recent enrolled submitters, not as required scores. The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at UW-Madison. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle. **12% of entering students submitted SAT scores** SAT: reported composite scores **25th percentile** 1400 **Median** 1450 **75th percentile** 1490 CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff. **29% of entering students submitted ACT scores** ACT: reported composite scores **25th percentile** 29 **Median** 31 **75th percentile** 33 CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff. Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters. ## Who enrolls at UW-Madison? **Pell Grant recipients** 15.9% **Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group** 14.1% **First-year retention** 96.2% Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention. About these student measures The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns. The University of Wisconsin-Madison admitted 45.2% of applicants, a rate well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 73,912 applicants, 30,167 admitted, and 8,495 enrolled first-year students. The undergraduate enrollment of 36,902 includes a Pell Grant share of 15.9% and an estimated share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group of 14.1%. These figures suggest a student body that draws substantially from both traditional first-year pathways and students entering with prior college credit. For transfer applicants, the university reported 4,677 applicants and 2,652 admitted, with 1,322 enrolled. Students who start at University of Wisconsin-Madison tend to stay and finish. The first-year retention rate for full-time bachelor's-seeking entrants is 96.2%, well above the 83.1% median for comparable institutions. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) for the first-time, full-time cohort is 89.5%, also above the peer median of 65.0%. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported a retention rate of 96% for the first-time, full-time fall 2024 entering class. For the first-time, full-time fall 2019 entering class, the six-year graduation rate was 89.7%, while Pell recipients in that cohort completed at 85.7%, below the overall rate. Federal data shows Pell recipients in the first-time, full-time cohort complete at 70.6%, which is 18.9 percentage points below the overall rate. A student weighing this school should know that the completion experience differs for Pell recipients. ## Data & methodology Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/). Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution. Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).