Cost & financial aid brief
University of Wisconsin-Madison Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does UW-Madison cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient at University of Wisconsin-Madison. That average masks a wide range: the lowest income band (under $30,000) averages $4,200, while the highest band (over $110,000) averages $27,292.
The spread between the two ends is $23,092, a pattern of lower average net prices at lower incomes. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that first-year aid recipients with need had an average of 91% of their need met in the 2025-26 academic year.
The average need-based grant was $34,869, and the average need-based package was $36,138. Of the 3,379 first-year students determined to have need, 2,600 had their need fully met.
The published cost of attendance is $28,679. Azimuth ranks University of Wisconsin-Madison #478 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $4,200 for families earning under $30,000, $8,134 for families earning $48,001 to $75,000, and $27,292 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $23,092.
Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $17,354, which is $1,720 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $20,484 in federal student loans. That is $408 above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions.
84.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $28,364 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who complete a degree at University of Wisconsin-Madison owe a median of $20,484 in federal student loans. Across all undergraduates, 84.2% of federal aid recipients take out federal loans.
Versus the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), that debt level stands above by $408. Parent borrowers represent a separate population; their median Parent PLUS loan is $28,364.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 33% of 7,810 bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $28,927 per borrower. This included 31% with federal loans averaging $17,456 and 9% with private loans averaging $42,804.
At University of Wisconsin-Madison, the investment picture is shaped by earnings that run well above the peer median and a debt load that sits close to it. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $78,974.
Azimuth places that figure in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,892 less than expects for similar students.
That puts the gap at the 44th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $56,127 in a downside case to $111,303 in an upside case, with $78,974 as the typical outcome.
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $20,484 in federal loans, a level that is $408 above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $28,364. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $233.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $28,364
- Estimated parent payment
- $360/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $20,484
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $28,364
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $233/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $360/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $593/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $78,974, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.0% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.