University of Wisconsin–Madison supplemental essays
University of Wisconsin–Madison asks for one supplemental essay in 2026-27. Common App. Personal statement required (250-650 words).
That is one supplement plus the Common App personal statement: two pieces of writing in all. Early Action closes November 1, 2026 and Regular Decision closes January 15, 2027. The prompts carry this limit: 650 words. Every University of Wisconsin–Madison prompt is printed on this page in full, with its word limit and who has to answer it.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Early Action | November 1, 2026 |
| Regular Decision | January 15, 2027 |
Checked against admissions.wisc.edu/apply-as-a-freshman. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 650 words
Tell us why you would like to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In addition, please include the primary reason(s) why you are interested in the major(s) you have selected.
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Your University of Wisconsin–Madison checklist
One supplement, required. The first deadline, Early Action, is November 1, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- SupplementRequired650 words
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Getting into University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison admits 45.2% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1380-1520 on the SAT and 29-33 on the ACT.
About 1 in 2 applicants are admitted, at a college of 36,902 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1380 | 1460 | 1520 |
| SAT reading and writing | 670 | 710 | 740 |
| SAT math | 710 | 750 | 780 |
| ACT composite | 29 | 31 | 33 |
What SAT score do you need for University of Wisconsin–Madison?
A 1520 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1460 at their midpoint, and a 1380 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 29, 31 and 33. A quarter of an enrolled class scoring under the 25th percentile is not a rounding error, so a score below the range is a reason to strengthen the rest of the application rather than a reason not to apply.
US Department of Education, College Scorecard (2026-09-17). Percentiles describe students who enrolled, not everyone admitted. SAT totals are the reading and math bands added together, which is how every source in this market reports them and is an approximation of about 10 to 20 points, because the two sections are correlated.
- What SAT score do you need for University of Wisconsin–Madison?
- University of Wisconsin–Madison sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1380-1520 on the SAT: a 1380 sits at the 25th percentile, 1460 at the median and 1520 at the 75th. A score at or above 1520 is a clear strength in the application; below 1380 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures University of Wisconsin–Madison reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for University of Wisconsin–Madison?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 29-33 on the ACT, with a composite of 31 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 29. Reported by University of Wisconsin–Madison to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for University of Wisconsin–Madison?
- The honest answer is that the federal data behind this page does not contain one. Colleges report their admit rate and their enrolled students' test scores to the Department of Education; they do not report a GPA distribution, so any site quoting an exact average GPA for University of Wisconsin–Madison is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that University of Wisconsin–Madison admits 45.2% of applicants, and the more selective a college is, the closer to the top of the class its admitted students sit and the more the strength of your course load counts alongside the number itself.
- How hard is it to get into University of Wisconsin–Madison?
- University of Wisconsin–Madison admits 45.2% of the people who apply, which is about 1 in 2 applicants. Numbers inside the reported range put you in a real position here, and the application itself decides the rest.
What University of Wisconsin–Madison costs after grant aid, by family income, from the same federal data.
Sort your whole college list into reaches, targets and likelies, or find colleges that fit your GPA and test scores. Both are free and neither needs an account.
University of Wisconsin–Madison essay questions, answered
- Does University of Wisconsin–Madison have supplemental essays?
- Yes. University of Wisconsin–Madison asks for one supplemental essay in 2026-27. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 650 words.
- How many essays do you write for University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2026-27?
- One supplement, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
University of Wisconsin–Madison admits 45.2% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: Bennington College (44.5%), University of Maryland, College Park (44.8%), Bentley University (45.1%), Auburn University (45.9%), Syracuse University (45.9%), CSU Long Beach (CSULB) (46.3%).