Public · Madison, WI
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Madison merit aid, cost of attendance, freshman GPA and SAT/ACT scores, net price by income, and graduate earnings.
Costs, merit aid & admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 41%
- Undergraduates
- 36,902
- Avg merit aid / yr
- $7,397
- Cost of attendance (in-state)
- $30,005
- Cost of attendance (out-of-state)
- $60,505
- SAT 75th percentile
- 1520
- ACT 75th percentile
- 33
Costs are annual prices before aid. Average merit aid is the average non-need-based award to freshmen who got one — not an offer to every applicant.
University of Wisconsin-Madison incoming freshman academic profile
- Average high school GPA
- 3.912025-26 CDS · Source
- SAT composite middle score
- 1,4502025-26 CDS · Source
- ACT composite middle score
- 312025-26 CDS · Source
Average GPA of enrolled freshmen (scale may be weighted or unweighted). SAT/ACT are median scores of students who submitted them — not scholarship cutoffs.
University of Wisconsin-Madison net price by family income
Historical average cost after all grants and scholarships — not need-based aid eligibility. 2024–25 academic year.
| Family income | $0–30K | $30–48K | $48–75K | $75–110K | $110K+ | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual net price | $3,424 | $3,837 | $6,026 | $15,839 | $28,208 | $16,600 |
Families earning $150,000+ should not assume they'll get need-based grants; the "Over $110K" group mixes very different incomes.
At what family income does financial aid stop at University of Wisconsin-Madison?
There's no universal cutoff. Need-based aid depends on income, assets, family size and college rules; merit scholarships are based on grades and scores, so high income doesn't rule them out. Use University of Wisconsin-Madison's net price calculator for a personal estimate, and the federal aid estimator for federal aid.
Graduation, earnings & student debt
- 6-year graduation
- 89.8%Fall 2019 / 2019–20 entering cohort
- First-year retention
- 96.2%Fall 2023 entering cohort; return in fall 2024
- Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
- $80,3302011–12 and 2012–13 entering cohorts; earnings in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars
- Median federal debt
- $18,375Federal fiscal years 2024 and 2025, pooled
Historical group figures, not individual predictions. Debt excludes private and Parent PLUS loans. Source: College Scorecard (ID 240444).
Colleges with acceptance rates similar to University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Madison accepts about 41% of applicants. These colleges have the closest reported acceptance rates.
- Ave Maria University · Ave Maria, FL41% acceptance
- East-West University · Chicago, IL41% acceptance
- Eastwick College-Hackensack · Hackensack, NJ41% acceptance
- Hampden-Sydney College · Hampden-Sydney, VA41% acceptance
- Manhattan School of Music · New York, NY41% acceptance
- Saint Joseph's University - Lancaster · Lancaster, PA41% acceptance
- The New England Conservatory of Music · Boston, MA41% acceptance
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff · Pine Bluff, AR41% acceptance
- Wilberforce University · Wilberforce, OH41% acceptance
- University of Rochester · Rochester, NY40% acceptance
Colleges with merit aid similar to University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Madison reports average merit aid of $7,397 per year. These colleges report the closest average non-need-based awards.
- Eastern Michigan University · Ypsilanti, MI$7,342 avg merit aid / yr
- University of New Hampshire-Main Campus · Durham, NH$7,529 avg merit aid / yr
- Keene State College · Keene, NH$7,532 avg merit aid / yr
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, NC$7,233 avg merit aid / yr
- Eastern Connecticut State University · Willimantic, CT$7,175 avg merit aid / yr
- Pepperdine University · Malibu, CA$7,158 avg merit aid / yr
- Oklahoma State University-Main Campus · Stillwater, OK$7,134 avg merit aid / yr
- William & Mary · Williamsburg, VA$7,696 avg merit aid / yr
- Neumann University · Aston, PA$7,737 avg merit aid / yr
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst · Amherst, MA$7,757 avg merit aid / yr
Data sources & limitations
Admissions, costs and merit aid: collegedata.fyi (Common Data Set + federal data), imported Oct 2026. Net prices and outcomes: College Scorecard, Oct 15, 2026 release, matched by federal ID. SAT 75th percentile adds section scores; 90th-percentile and GPA match thresholds are estimates. ROI compares four years of average net price with median earnings 10 years after entry, ranked in thirds across colleges. Blank means not reported — never estimated. Confirm costs and scholarships with the college.