A legacy of excellence
and a force for change
For 175 years, the University of Wisconsin–Madison has transformed lives through affordable education, a world-class student experience, groundbreaking research, and a commitment to public service.
A Research Leader
As a top 10 research institution, UW–Madison’s vast research enterprise has a singular mission: to improve lives. We invest more than $1.5 billion annually in research activities, keeping us on the edge of the next big discovery.
From identifying the first vitamins a century ago to conducting new research that investigates the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s disease, UW–Madison’s legacy of life-changing innovations continues to have a global impact.
View an interactive timeline of UW–Madison’s discoveries and innovations
22K+ Articles by UW faculty since 2021
$1.52B Research expenditures (2022)
one and a half billion dollars
#12
Patents granted among
U.S. universities (2022)
The Wisconsin Experience
We believe in the value of a well-rounded education that not only produces the top thinkers of our time, but also develops better citizens of the world. Our broad vision for education coalesces learning in and out of the classroom.
Our world-class faculty and staff help students realize their highest potential and provide a sense of belonging on campus. Whether it’s teaching courses for one of our 300-plus undergraduate majors and certificates or guiding students to life-changing study-abroad programs, our faculty and staff ensure today’s students are ready for tomorrow’s careers and challenges.
91%
Student participation in service
learning or other high-impact
practice (2022–23)
~1,000
Registered student
organizations to join (2022)
#2
National public university
(Washington Monthly, 2023)
An Affordable Education for All
Six years ago, we made a pledge to make higher education attainable for all Wisconsin families. We strengthened that commitment in early 2023 by launching Bucky’s Pell Pathway, which meets the full financial need of students who qualify for the Pell Grant. This program is already supporting nearly 1,000 lower-income students. Also announced last year, the Wisconsin Tribal Education Promise guarantees funding to meet the full in-state cost of attendance for Native students enrolled in federally recognized tribes pursuing their first undergraduate degree or an MD or JD degree.
In addition, our BANNER program provides funds to out-of-state students with financial need, and our Wisconsin Teacher Pledge pays the equivalent of in-state tuition for students who commit to working at a PK–12 school in the state after graduation.
65%
Students graduating
debt-free (2023)
3.84
Years to earn a degree
on average (2022–23)
89%
Graduation rate within
six years
An Impact Beyond Campus
Ever since the Wisconsin Idea was first articulated nearly 120 years ago, we’ve rallied around the principle that the university should improve people’s lives beyond the boundaries of campus. For example, since the mid-1960s, UW–Madison’s Institute for Research on Poverty — the first of its kind at a university — has informed national policies and programs to combat poverty, inequality, and their wide-ranging effects.
The Wisconsin Idea is animated every day through our education, research, and outreach. UW–Madison engineers are supporting an energy storage system in the United States that could come online as early as 2026. The project would be the first to demonstrate — at a commercial scale — a closed-loop, carbon dioxide-based energy storage system and could validate the technology for wide-scale deployment in the United States.
Read about five ways UW–Madison ideas have changed the world
14,400+
Hours of dedicated student
community service through
Badger Volunteers (2022–23)
$30.8B
Economic impact on
Wisconsin (2021)
#2
All-time producer of Peace
Corps volunteers (2023)