TL;DR: The Wisconsin out-of-state acceptance rate was 45.6% for fall 2026 (Class of 2030): UW-Madison admitted 21,674 of 47,497 nonresident domestic applicants, against 58.8% for Wisconsin residents, 35.6% for Minnesota applicants and 46.4% for international applicants, per UW-Madison Data, Academic Planning and Institutional Research. Overall, 35,254 of a record 75,234 applicants were admitted (46.9%), up from 40.8% for fall 2025, and the entering class of 8,587 included 3,920 Wisconsin residents against a standing commitment to enroll at least 3,600. Nonresident tuition and segregated fees total $45,931.60 for 2026-27, against $12,416.09 for residents. For out-of-state families weighing Madison, Oriel Admissions builds the application strategy around the nonresident pool: schedule a consultation.
How Competitive Is the Wisconsin Out-of-State Acceptance Rate?
UW-Madison reports admission results separately for four residency groups, and the gap between them is the real out-of-state story. For fall 2026, nonresident domestic applicants were admitted at 45.6% (21,674 of 47,497), Wisconsin residents at 58.8% (5,877 of 10,000), Minnesota applicants at 35.6% (1,756 of 4,929) and international applicants at 46.4% (5,947 of 12,808), according to the UW-Madison Data, Academic Planning and Institutional Research admissions trends. The overall rate was 46.9%, with 35,254 admits from a record 75,234 applications.
The fall 2026 cycle reversed the one before it. For fall 2025, the nonresident domestic rate was 40.9% and the overall rate 40.8%; the Common Data Set 2025-2026, which counts nonresident domestic and Minnesota applicants together as out of state, put the fall 2025 out-of-state rate at 40.3%, with 19,948 admits from 49,463 applicants. Yield shows why nonresident admits run far above nonresident seats: for fall 2026, 66.7% of admitted Wisconsin residents enrolled, against 14.6% of nonresident domestic admits. UW-Madison has committed since 2015 to enrolling at least 3,600 Wisconsin residents in each freshman class, and it enrolled 3,920 Wisconsin first-year students in an entering class of 8,587 for fall 2026. Oriel Admissions treats the rate for the applicant group, not the headline rate, as the planning number.
How Has the Wisconsin Out-of-State Acceptance Rate Changed Since Fall 2024?
| Applicant group | Fall 2026 | Fall 2025 | Fall 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin residents | 58.8% | 56.4% | 59.3% |
| Nonresident domestic | 45.6% | 40.9% | 46.5% |
| Minnesota (Minnesota Compact) | 35.6% | 34.8% | 38.5% |
| International | 46.4% | 31.6% | 33.3% |
| All applicants | 46.9% | 40.8% | 45.2% |
| Total applications | 75,234 | 73,912 | 65,933 |
Source: UW-Madison Data, Academic Planning and Institutional Research, Trends in New Freshman Applicants, Admits, and Enrollments in Fall Semesters, by tuition residency.
How Does Minnesota Reciprocity Change the Out-of-State Picture?
Wisconsin’s residency picture has a third category most families overlook. Under the Minnesota-Wisconsin Tuition Reciprocity Agreement, Minnesota residents approved by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education pay a reduced tuition rate for most UW-Madison programs, per the UW-Madison Registrar. UW-Madison reports Minnesota applicants as their own group, and they were admitted at the lowest rate of any group for fall 2026: 35.6%, with 819 enrolling. For families in the other 48 states, the planning number is the nonresident domestic rate of 45.6%, and 3,172 nonresident domestic students enrolled for fall 2026.
What Do Out-of-State Families Pay at UW-Madison?
| 2026-27 annual rate | Wisconsin resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $10,716.61 | $44,232.12 |
| Segregated fee | $1,699.48 | $1,699.48 |
| Total | $12,416.09 | $45,931.60 |
Source: UW-Madison Bursar’s Office, Fall 2026 Tuition and Segregated Fee Announcement (approved June 4, 2026). Housing, food and other costs are not included.
At $45,931.60 in tuition and segregated fees before housing, the four-year nonresident cost approaches what many private universities charge. UW-Madison’s facts page reports 37,198 undergraduates for fall 2025 and a 5th national ranking in research expenditure for 2024. In the view of Oriel Admissions, families comparing Madison against schools such as Michigan or the out-of-state path at UNC Chapel Hill are usually weighing exactly this trade between flagship scale and nonresident price.
How Should Out-of-State Applicants Approach UW-Madison?
UW-Madison says it typically sees unweighted academic GPAs between 3.8 and 4.0 and a class rank in the 85th to 97th percentile. In the Common Data Set 2025-2026, enrolled first-year students for fall 2025 averaged a 3.91 high school GPA, and the middle 50% of submitted scores was 1400 to 1490 on the SAT and 29 to 33 on the ACT, with 12% of the class submitting SAT scores and 29% submitting ACT scores. Applications are test optional through the spring 2028 term. Per the freshman application page, for fall 2027 entry nonbinding Early Action closes November 1, with materials due November 9 and decisions on or before January 31, and Regular Decision closes January 15, with decisions on or before March 31. In our experience nonresident applicants should treat the top of those ranges as the target, apply in the Early Action round, and build the application around sustained rigor and one or two deep commitments rather than breadth. The wait list is active as well: for fall 2025, UW-Madison offered 6,476 applicants a place, 4,317 accepted one and 1,088 were admitted. Strong candidates should also evaluate the honors path alongside admission itself; our guide to honors colleges covers how that calculus works at public flagships.
For the overall numbers, including the rate for Wisconsin residents, see the UW Madison acceptance rate page.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Wisconsin Out-of-State Acceptance Rate
For fall 2026, UW-Madison admitted 45.6% of nonresident domestic applicants (21,674 of 47,497), against 58.8% of Wisconsin residents, 35.6% of Minnesota applicants and 46.4% of international applicants, per UW-Madison institutional research. The overall rate was 46.9%, up from 40.8% for fall 2025.
Yes. Wisconsin residents were admitted at 58.8% for fall 2026 against 45.6% for nonresident domestic applicants, a gap of about 13 points. UW-Madison has committed since 2015 to enrolling at least 3,600 Wisconsin residents in each freshman class, and it enrolled 3,920 Wisconsin first-year students for fall 2026.
For 2026-27, full-time nonresident tuition is $44,232.12 and the segregated fee is $1,699.48, a total of $45,931.60 before housing and food, per the UW-Madison Bursar. Wisconsin residents pay $12,416.09 in tuition and segregated fees.
Only if the student is a Minnesota resident approved by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. Under the Minnesota-Wisconsin Tuition Reciprocity Agreement, approved students pay a reduced tuition rate for most UW-Madison programs. Minnesota applicants were admitted at 35.6% for fall 2026, the lowest rate of any residency group.
UW-Madison says it typically sees unweighted academic GPAs between 3.8 and 4.0. Enrolled students for fall 2025 averaged a 3.91 high school GPA, and the middle 50% of submitted scores was 1400 to 1490 on the SAT and 29 to 33 on the ACT. Testing is optional through the spring 2028 term.
It was 46.4% for fall 2026, with 5,947 of 12,808 international applicants admitted and 676 enrolling, per UW-Madison institutional research. The rate rose sharply from 31.6% for fall 2025.
Yes. For fall 2025 UW-Madison offered 6,476 applicants a place on the wait list, 4,317 accepted a place and 1,088 were admitted, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026. The filing does not break wait list admits down by residency.
For fall 2027 entry, Early Action closes November 1, with materials due November 9 and decisions on or before January 31. Early Action is nonbinding, and Regular Decision closes January 15 with decisions on or before March 31. Oriel Admissions generally recommends that nonresident applicants use the Early Action round.
Sources: UW-Madison Data, Academic Planning and Institutional Research, Admissions Trends; UW-Madison Common Data Set 2025-2026; UW-Madison News, incoming class, September 25, 2026; UW-Madison Bursar, Fall 2026 Tuition and Segregated Fee Announcement; UW-Madison Registrar, Minnesota Reciprocity; UW-Madison Admissions, Apply as a Freshman; UW-Madison Facts.
About Oriel Admissions
Oriel Admissions is a college admissions consulting firm advising families nationwide on elite university admissions strategy, with offices in Princeton, New Jersey and New York. Our team pairs deep admissions expertise with a distinctive 360 approach spanning academic planning, extracurricular strategy, essays and application execution. To discuss your strategy, schedule a consultation.
