UW Madison Acceptance Rate and How to Get in Easily

The University of Wisconsin, UW, is a rigorous, well-rounded school that contributes a huge amount of research to many academic fields. Keep reading to know the UW acceptance rate.

As a major research institution, UW’s students, staff, and faculty take part in a world-class education and solve real-world problems. The university hires and retains top faculty, has stringent admission requirements, a gorgeous campus, and diversified culture. There are a  lot of student activities and the school is tops in several areas including engineering, business, communications, psychology, law, sciences, etc

Wilson’s idea or guiding principle- public service, helps create a better future for every student. There’s a lot more to know about the University of Wisconsin, its history, academics, research, UW acceptance rate, GPA and other requirements, and how to get in easily.

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About University of Wisconsin–Madison

The University of Wisconsin–Madison, or UW is a public land-grant research university founded in 1848 in Madison, Wisconsin. It is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System and the official state university of Wisconsin. UW was also the first public university established in Wisconsin and is still the largest and oldest public university in the state. In 1866, it became a land-grant institution. Four National Historic Landmarks are at the 933-acre (378 ha) main campus, at the shores of Lake Mendota. The university also owns and operates a 1,200-acre (486 ha) arboretum, a National Historic Landmark established in 1932 and situated 4 miles (6.4 km) south of the main campus.

UW has 20 schools and colleges, with 33,506 undergraduates, 9,772 graduates, 1,968 special, and 2,686 professional students enrolled in 2021. 136 undergraduate majors, 148 master’s degree programs, and 120 doctoral programs make up its academics. The university is a major contributor to Wisconsin’s economy and the largest employer in the state. Over 24,232 faculty and staff are employed.

UW is among the twelve founding members of the Association of American Universities. It is known as a Public Ivy, and an R1 University. This means that the university engages in a very high level of research activity. In 2018, the research and development expenditures amounted to $1.2 billion, which is the eighth-highest among universities in the nation. In March 2020, 2 Fields medalists, 26 Nobel laureates, and 1 Turing award winner have been associated with UW as faculty, alumni, or researchers. Additionally, in November 2018, 14 Fortune 500 current CEOs attended UW, the most of any university in the United States.

UW scientific advances include the discovery of vitamins A and B by Elmer McCollum and Marguerite Davis, the single-grain experiment, the development of the anticoagulant medication warfarin by Karl Paul Link, Har Gobind Khorana’s first chemical synthesis of a gene,  Howard Temin discovery of the retroviral enzyme reverse transcriptase, and the first synthesis of human embryonic stem cells by James Thomson. The prominent “Wisconsin School” of economics and of diplomatic history, as well as UW–Madison professor Aldo Leopold contributed to the development of modern environmental science and conservationism.

The Wisconsin Badgers participate in 25 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference. The team has won 31 national championships. In total, Wisconsin students and alumni have won 50 Olympic medals and 13 gold medals.

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History

The university was founded when the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature in its 1838 session passed a law merging a “University of the Territory of Wisconsin”, and the appointment of a high-ranking Board of Visitors. Before Wisconsin was incorporated as a state in 1848, the predecessor of the U.W. board of regents body didn’t accomplish anything. The Wisconsin Constitution provided for “near the seat of state government the establishment of a state university” and the state legislature administered by a Chancellor and directed it to be governed by a board of regents.

On July 26, 1848, Wisconsin’s first governor, Nelson Dewey, signed the act through which the University of Wisconsin was formally created. In the fall of 1849, John H. Lathrop became the university’s first chancellor.  The university’s first professor (mathematics), John W. Sterling, on February 5, 1849, the first class of 17 students met at Madison Female Academy. A permanent campus site was chosen north by Fourth lake, east by a street to be opened at right angles with King street area of 50 acres (20.2 ha) “b”, west by a carriage-way from said road to the lake” south by Mineral Point Road (University Avenue).”

Towards the Capitol, the regents’ building plans called for a “main edifice fronting three stories high, surmounted by an astronomical observations observatory. In 1859, this University Hall building, now known as Bascom Hall, was finally completed. On October 10, 1916, the building’s dome was destroyed by a fire, which was never replaced. The first building on campus was North Hall which was constructed in 1851. In 1854, the first graduates of the university were Levi Booth and Charles T. Wakeley, and in 1892 the first Ph.D. was awarded to the future university president Charles R. Van Hise.

The Wisconsin Idea

“The Wisconsin Idea” influenced the Research, teaching, and service at the UW, first articulated by UW President Charles Van Hise. In 1904, Charles declared he won’t be contented until every home in the state benefited from the influence of the University.  The boundaries of the university are held by the Wisconsin Idea holds that should be the boundaries of the state. The research conducted at UW was applied to improve equality of life, the environment, and agriculture for all citizens of the state. The Wisconsin Idea helps forge close working relationships among university faculty and students and permeates the university’s work, as well as the state’s industries and government. The work of the faculty, staff, and students is influenced by the Wisconsin Idea which helps them aim to solve real-world problems by working together across demographics and disciplines.

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World War II

During World War II, the University of Wisconsin took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.

Expansion

Additional campuses including the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (created in 1956), UW–Green Bay, and UW–Parkside (created in 1968) were added to the university. A total of 10 sophomore centers for freshmen were also added to this system. In 1971, a law was passed by Wisconsin legislators merging the University of Wisconsin with the nine universities and the Wisconsin State Universities System with four freshman-sophomore branch campuses, which led to the creation of the University of Wisconsin System. Two higher education systems were also brought under a single board of regents.

Academics

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. The large, four-year research university comprises twenty associated colleges and schools. There are undergraduate and graduate divisions in agriculture and life sciences, education, business, engineering, human ecology, mass communication, journalism, letters and science, nursing, music, pharmacy, and social welfare. UW also maintains graduate and professional schools in law, environmental studies, library and information studies, public affairs, medicine, public health (School of Medicine and Public Health), and veterinary medicine.

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies the four-year, full-time undergraduate instructional program as “arts and science plus professions” with a high graduate coexistence; admissions are characterized as “lower transfer-in, more selective.” The College of Letters and Science, the largest university college, s made up of 38 departments and five professional schools and enrolls approximately half of the undergraduate student body that instructs students and carries out research in many fields, such as economics, astronomy, geography, history, linguistics, and zoology. Carnegie classifies the graduate instructional program as “comprehensive with medical/veterinary.” In 2008, UW granted the third-largest number of doctorates. 

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Research

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is among the 33 sea grant colleges in the US. These colleges participate in scientific research, education, training, and extension projects focusing on the conservation and practical use of the Great Lakes, U.S. coasts, and other marine areas.

The University has over 100 research centers and programs, in agriculture, arts, education, and engineering. Ever since UW–Madison professor James Thomson isolate human embryonic stem cells and was the first scientist to do so, it has been considered a major academic center for embryonic stem cell research. This has brought huge attention and respect to the University’s research programs all over the world. The University leads in stem cell research, supported partially by the funding of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation and the promotion of WiCell.

The Engine Research Center, its center for research on internal combustion engines, has a five-year collaboration agreement with General Motors. The research center also received multimillion-dollar funding from the federal government. 

UW Acceptance Rate and how to Get in Easily

Admission Requirements

When it comes to the University of Wisconsin–Madison admission requirements, the important requirement is :

• GPA requirements
• SAT and ACT requirements, and/or testing requirements
• Application requirements

Keep reading to know the admission requirements based on the UW acceptance rate. 

The UW acceptance rate is the first criteria you must consider before applying to know how competitive the University of Wisconsin–Madison is and the requirements you must meet.

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UW Acceptance rate

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s acceptance rate is 51.7%. For every 100 applicants, 52 are admitted, hence UW is moderately selective.

Yet, you must meet the UW’s requirements for GPA and SAT/ACT scores, which are quite flexible compared to other schools. You will stand a better chance of getting in if you exceed these requirements. Anything less than the minimum GPA and SAT/ACT scores will reduce your chance of getting in easily.

UW GPA Requirements

Below is the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s average GPA for its current students. 

GPA

UW’s average GPA is 3.86.  Hence, UW has extremely competitive GPAs.

If you get a GPA of 3.86, you are expected to be the best in your high school class, and above average with a majority of A’s on your transcript. You can as well take hard AP or IB classes to help boost your weighted GPA.

However, if you’re currently a junior or senior, your GPA will be hard to change in time for college applications.  A GPA of less than 3.86 won’t be enough.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Different requirements for standardizing tests are implemented by different schools. The majority of the schools require the SAT or ACT, while others also require SAT subject tests. 

Before you submit an application to UW, you must take either the SAT or ACT  test. It is very important you perform well in the test to have a strong application.

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UW SAT Requirements

The average SAT score composite is 1390 on the 1600 SAT scale. Therefore, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is moderately competitive in SAT test scores.

The New SAT 25th percentile score is 1300, while the New SAT 75th percentile score is 1480. What this means is that a New SAT score of 1300 places you below average, while 1480 places you up above average.

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UW ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, there’s no known hard ACT cutoff mark based on the UW acceptance rate. However, if your score is low, you won’t stand a chance of being admitted.

The average ACT score at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is 30. The university is strongly competitive for ACT scores. The 25th percentile ACT score is 27, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 32.

University of Wisconsin–Madison has no minimum ACT requirement, but if your ACT score is less than 30, you won’t stand a chance of getting in, unless there’s something very unique about your application.

Therefore, if your ACT score is currently below a 30, you should prepare for the ACT test and retake it to able to boost your chances of getting in if you are able to raise your score.

Additionally, the Superscore will help you focus all your energy on a single section at a time. A Reading score that is lower than your other sections, requires you to prepare only for the Reading section, before taking the ACT. and Math test, and so on. With this, you will be able to have the high Superscore possible.

SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

There’s an optional essay section for the SAT and ACT.

University of Wisconsin–Madison recommends that you take the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section. They’ll consider your application to be stronger if you do well.

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SAT Subject Test Requirements

SAT subject test requirements vary with different schools. Some selective schools will require them, while others do not need them.

There’s no information if the University of Wisconsin–Madison requires SAT subject tests, So, double-check 6 months before applying just to make sure and have enough time to take the test.

Because of how selective UW is, having a strong academic performance increases your chance of getting admission. If you score a 1390 SAT or a 30 ACT or above, then you are guaranteed admission.

Once you achieve a high SAT/ACT score, your GPA should be close to the school average of 3.86. Additionally, based on your score merits, you may still need amazing extracurriculars and impressive letters of recommendation to get in. 

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Conclusion

The University of Wisconsin–Madison, or UW is a public land-grant research university founded in 1848 in Madison, Wisconsin. It is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System and the official state university of Wisconsin. UW was also the first public university established in Wisconsin and is still the largest and oldest public university in the state. 

UW’s students, staff, and faculty take part in a world-class education and solve real-world problems. The university hires and retains top faculty, has stringent admission requirements, a gorgeous campus, and diversified culture. There are a  lot of student activities and the school is tops in several areas including engineering, business, communications, psychology, law, sciences, etc.

UW acceptance rate is 51.7%. For every 100 applicants, 52 are admitted. University of Wisconsin–Madison admission is moderately selective Williams, having a strong academic performance increases your chance of getting admission.

FAQs on UW Acceptance Rate and how to Get in Easily