University

University of Wisconsin–Madison

University
#53 / #23
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#216
Most Desirable School
Public research university in Madison, Wisconsin, USA

University of Wisconsin–Madison Featured Rankings

About University of Wisconsin–Madison

By James Barham, PhD

The University of Wisconsin was founded at the same time that the eastern part of the Wisconsin Territory became the new state of Wisconsin and entered the union. In accord with its charter, the new state university was physically located in the state capital, Madison.

Today, the University of Wisconsin System has grown into an immense network of more than 180,000 students distributed across some 26 campuses. However, the original Madison location still remains the flagship campus with the largest student body (around 44,000 students) and the most distinguished faculty. The university’s $3 billion endowment allows it to rank third in the US for expenditures on fundamental research.

The university is still growing rapidly, with the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (for biomedical research), the Wisconsin Energy Institute (for alternative energy development), and the Human Ecology Building all having opened within the past ten years.

In 2007, the university’s Morgridge Center for Public Service undertook a five-year, fund-raising drive to take advantage of $1 million in annual matching funds that the Morgridge family made available to increase support for the Center’s programs and services, especially in the areas of community-based research and engaged scholarship.

Historically, a number of important scientific investigations have been conducted at Wisconsin, including:

  • the “single-grain experiment” (1907–1911) to determine whether cows could live on a diet restricted to one kind of grain, marking the debut of modern nutrition science
  • experiments on the diet of rats conducted by Elmer McCollum and Marguerite Davis in 1913, which led to the discovery of the first vitamin (vitamin A)
  • experiments by Karl Paul Link in 1924 on “sweet clover disease” in cattle, which led to the discovery of anticoagulant compounds such as warfarin and heparin
  • experiments by Har Gobind Khorana in the early 1960s, which led to the decipherment of the RNA code controlling protein synthesis
  • research by Howard Temin, also in the 1960s, which resulted in the discovery of the genetic composition of viruses, as well as the co-discovery (with David Baltimore) of reverse transcriptase
  • James Thomson’s synthesis in 1998 of the first line of human embryonic stem cells

Overall, some 19 Wisconsin-connected people have received the Nobel Prize, including:

  • John Bardeen—physics
  • Alan MacDiarmid and Paul Boyer—chemistry
  • Joshua Lederberg and Edward Tatum—physiology or medicine (in addition to Elmer McCollum, Har Gobind Khorana, and Howard Temin, already mentioned)

Other prominent Wisconsin folks include:

  • Naturalist, John Muir
  • Conservationist, Aldo Leopold
  • Architect, Frank Lloyd Wright
  • Aviation pioneer, Charles Lindberg
  • Richard T. Ely and John R. Commons, founders of the Wisconsin School of Economics
  • Biochemist, Albert Lehninger
  • Mathematician and population geneticist, Motoo Kimura
  • Anthropologist, Clyde Kluckhohn
  • Actors Fredric March, Agnes Moorehead, & Gena Rowlands
  • Poet, Delmore Schwartz
  • Playwright, Lorraine Hansberry
  • Novelists, Marjorie Rawlings, Eudora Welty, Saul Bellow, & Joyce Carol Oates
  • Glass artist, Dale Chihuly
  • 46th Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney

According to Wikipedia, The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848, UW–Madison is the official state university of Wisconsin and the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It was the first public university established in Wisconsin and remains the oldest and largest public university in the state. UW–Madison became a land-grant institution in 1866. The main campus, located on the shores of Lake Mendota, includes four National Historic Landmarks. The university also owns and operates the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum, located south of the main campus, which is also a National Historic Landmark.

University of Wisconsin–Madison's Online Degrees

University of Wisconsin–Madison Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceGraduation RateMedian SAT ScoreMedian ACT Score
60,21449%89%142529

How Much Does University of Wisconsin–Madison Cost To Attend?

Tuition (in-state)Fees (in-state)
$9,273$1,523

How Much Do University of Wisconsin–Madison Graduates Make?

If you graduate from University of Wisconsin–Madison, then you can expect to earn an average of $68,000 per year. You also have a 93% chance of being employed after 10 years.

University of Wisconsin–Madison's Demographics

Demographic data is for full-time, on-campus students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
51,29637,57113,725

Where is University of Wisconsin–Madison?

University of Wisconsin–Madison is located at 500 Lincoln Dr, Madison WI 53706-1380

How Safe is University of Wisconsin–Madison?

Madison has a violent crime rate of less than .01% and a property crime rate of less than .01%.

What Is University of Wisconsin–Madison Known For?

University of Wisconsin–Madison is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

University of Wisconsin–Madison's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Sociology
#34
World Rank
#34
Historical Rank
#14
USA Rank
sociology Degrees
History
#45
World Rank
#45
Historical Rank
#17
USA Rank
history Degrees
Earth Sciences
#69
World Rank
#78
Historical Rank
#17
USA Rank
earth-science Degrees
Mathematics
#54
World Rank
#84
Historical Rank
#18
USA Rank
math Degrees
Physics
#66
World Rank
#90
Historical Rank
#19
USA Rank
physics Degrees
Chemistry
#66
World Rank
#87
Historical Rank
#19
USA Rank
chemistry Degrees
Anthropology
#49
World Rank
#50
Historical Rank
#20
USA Rank
anthropology Degrees
Biology
#43
World Rank
#48
Historical Rank
#21
USA Rank
biology Degrees
Psychology
#35
World Rank
#30
Historical Rank
#23
USA Rank
psychology Degrees
Computer Science
#60
World Rank
#57
Historical Rank
#25
USA Rank
computer-science Degrees
Economics
#61
World Rank
#51
Historical Rank
#25
USA Rank
economics Degrees
Engineering
#97
World Rank
#50
Historical Rank
#31
USA Rank
engineering Degrees
Communications
#113
World Rank
#108
Historical Rank
#35
USA Rank
communications Degrees
Political Science
#110
World Rank
#114
Historical Rank
#35
USA Rank
political-science Degrees
Education
#118
World Rank
#120
Historical Rank
#36
USA Rank
education Degrees
Literature
#101
World Rank
#102
Historical Rank
#37
USA Rank
literature Degrees
Philosophy
#115
World Rank
#149
Historical Rank
#37
USA Rank
philosophy Degrees
Law
#121
World Rank
#125
Historical Rank
#38
USA Rank
Social Work
#65
World Rank
#67
Historical Rank
#42
USA Rank
social-work Degrees
Medical
#114
World Rank
#121
Historical Rank
#46
USA Rank
medicine Degrees
Business
#118
World Rank
#117
Historical Rank
#51
USA Rank
business Degrees
Nursing
#106
World Rank
#101
Historical Rank
#51
USA Rank
nursing Degrees
Religious Studies
#333
World Rank
#357
Historical Rank
#75
USA Rank
religious-studies-hub Degrees

Who Are University of Wisconsin–Madison's Most Influential Alumni?

University of Wisconsin–Madison's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Psychology, Sociology, and History. Here are some of University of Wisconsin–Madison's most famous alumni:

Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
An American architect .
Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers
An American psychologist.
Edward Witten
Edward Witten
An American theoretical physicist.
John Bardeen
John Bardeen
An American physicist and engineer.
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
An American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.
Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow
An American psychologist .
Jim Lovell
Jim Lovell
An American astronaut.
Jack Kilby
Jack Kilby
An American electrical engineer .
Joshua Lederberg
Joshua Lederberg
An American molecular biologist .
Warren Weaver
An American mathematician .
C. Wright Mills
C. Wright Mills
An American sociologist .
Jayaprakash Narayan
An Indian independence activist and political leader.

Who Are University of Wisconsin–Madison's Most Influential Faculty?

University of Wisconsin–Madison's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Psychology, Sociology, and History. Here are some of University of Wisconsin–Madison's most famous alumni:

Jordan Ellenberg
Jordan Ellenberg
An American mathematician .
Matthew Desmond
Matthew Desmond
An American sociologist.
Melanie Wood
Melanie Wood
An American mathematician.
Lawrence Landweber
Lawrence Landweber
An American writer and academic.
Sau Lan Wu
An American physicist.
Tor Wager
An American psychologist.
Alice Goffman
Alice Goffman
An American sociologist.
Anne Condon
An Irish-Canadian computer scientist.
Jacquelyn Gill
Jacquelyn Gill
A Paleoecologist.
Quan Barry
An American writer.
Shelly Grabe
An American social psychologist.
Ryan G. Van Cleave
An American poet.