The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a highly-respected large public research university in Madison, Wisconsin. Students love Madison for mixing strong academics with broad opportunities and an iconic culture. Greek life and athletics are big at Wisconsin, and help to define the social experience whether or not you want to join a Greek organization or cheer on the Badgers in basketball. There are nearly 37,000 undergraduate students, and they receive over 65,000 applications for first-year admission annually. The overall acceptance rate, including in-state and out-of-state applicants, is 45%. Remember though, if you are applying from outside of Wisconsin your chances of admission are undoubtedly far lower than that 45%. Way back in 2018, the university that they aimed to admit 2/3rd of Wisconsin applicants. Using some back-of-the-envelope math, that means that about 25% of out-of-state applicants were accepted to reach a 45% overall acceptance rate.
Recently, the UW-Madison launched “”, a commitment to automatically accept a small number of the highest-performing students in the state. The 2025-2026 application cycle will be the first cycle with the Wisconsin Guarantee fully in action. It appears this move was, , a response to a falling in-state rate of enrollment following the lifting of limits on out-of-state students. We are interested to see how the implementation of The Wisconsin Guarantee shifts acceptance rates and trends for the university for both in-state and out-of-state applicants.
When assessing applications, they that “We don’t use formulas or charts. AI is not used in any aspect of the admissions review… We read each application thoroughly, one by one.” But is that even possible? With 65,000+ applications to go through, we aren’t convinced. If you want to be seriously considered by UW-Madison, especially as an out-of-state applicant, you need to be within the realm of qualified. For example, ensure that you meet the for a student to be considered for admission.
Once you have all your courses in line, it’s all about grades. In your academics, the pairing of rigor and success. Academic excellence is what UW-Madison cares most about on your application, and nearly all accepted students are in the top 50% of their graduating class in high school. The application is also through the Spring 2027 term, so applicants in the 2025-2026 cycle do not need to submit ACT or SAT scores. Recently, about 50% of accepted and enrolled first-years had submitted SAT or ACT scores. This tells us that not submitting scores does not hurt your application — but it can help if your scores are strong. We highly recommend that our students do, though, if they receive a 31 or above on the ACT or a 1450 or above on the SAT. These minimum scores would put you above the 50th percentile of accepted students.
But that’s enough on other facets of your application. Below, we’ll break down how to tackle the UW-Madison writing supplement, leading to your strongest possibility of acceptance by this powerhouse of a school.
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When applying to UW-Madison, you can choose to apply using the Common Application or the Wisconsin Application. If you use the Common App, they require the main college essay. If you use the Wisconsin Application, there is an additional question they require in lieu of the Common App college essay. Below, we break down the supplement that all applicants to UW-Madison have to answer, before getting into the question that is specific to the Wisconsin Application.
Tell us why you would like to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition, please include why you are interested in studying the major(s) you have selected. If you selected undecided, please describe your areas of possible academic interest. ()
This is a classic “Why us?” application supplement. They want to know what you like about them, and they need you to be specific. So, start with research — and we don’t mean just browsing the internet. Instead, actually dig into the program at UW-Madison that you’d like to pursue. Find the major and a professor you are hoping to study under. Search out two or three classes within the major that you are excited about, and that link to existing interests. Find a study abroad, internship, or research program that you would love to do. Identify a prospective second major or minor, and pick out one or two academic clubs that you want to join.
This isn’t a supplement where you should write about the social life you are dreaming about. They want to hear about what you want to study, so stay focused on the school part of school. Tell them about the major through the lens of your why for pursuing that course of study. To do this, start the supplement with a story that illuminates your interest in the subject, then link it to the UW-Madison program you are interested in.
End the supplement by looping back to your life right now. How are you preparing now to excel in your future?
WISCONSIN APPLICATION QUESTION: Each student is unique. Please tell us about the particular life experiences, talents, commitments, and/or interests you will bring to our campus. (300-500 words)
If you are using the Wisconsin Application, you have one more question to do. This is not a place where you can copy and paste the Common App essay. We do, however, advise our students who are applying to UW-Madison and who want to use the Wisconsin Application to make their main college essay the ‘frame’ of their response to this prompt.
Start by picking pieces of the main essay that speak to your experiences, talents, commitments, or interests. Each piece should be only a few lines, at most, as you will need to weave each into a narrative example of how these aspects of who you are will translate to your experience at UW-Madison.
Importantly, do not repeat anything that you have said in the first supplement. Use new examples, new stories, and new things at UW-Madison that are exciting to you. Everything in this supplement should be new information to the application readers.
As you write your application, remember to look into the direct entry program. The program allows some applicants to apply directly to their prospective major from a short list of majors in the Wisconsin School of Business, the College of Engineering, as well as music and dance. This can be a powerful tool and a meaningful opportunity for students set on UW-Madison for college.
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