UW-Madison vs U of A

Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and basking under the Arizona sun, University of Arizona, stand as two distinct beacons of higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they offer unique experiences shaped by their contrasting locations, student demographics, and academic strengths. With University of Wisconsin-Madison boasting a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, it fosters a vibrant and diverse campus culture. On the other hand, University of Arizona's lower acceptance rate and smaller student body contribute to a more intimate and personalized learning environment. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the ideal fit for your academic journey.

	University of Arizona	University of Wisconsin-Madison
Overview
Location	Tucson, Arizona	Madison, Wisconsin
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.3%	60.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $85	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1120 - 1370	1320 - 1500
ACT range	21 - 29	26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	55.0%
Total number of applicants	48,065	53,781
Total number of admissions given out	41,946	32,459
Admitted students who chose to enroll	8,436	8,465
Yield rate	20.1%	26.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $30,136 Out of state: $54,658	In state: $27,418 Out of state: $55,306
Average net price	$17,242	$13,484
Tuition	In state: $11,299 Out of state: $35,821	In state: $9,273 Out of state: $37,161
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,400 Meal plan: $5,050	Room/dormitory: $7,367 Meal plan: $4,100
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $13,790	54.0% Average amount $10,932
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,845	26.0% Average amount $5,175
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $20,814	6.0% Average amount $16,550

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	37,434 Men 44.3% Women 55.7%	34,561 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Graduate students	10,840 Men 44.5% Women 55.5%	12,455 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	48.8%	50.6%
International students	6.5%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	7,036	9,226
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arizona California Washington Illinois Colorado	Wisconsin Illinois Minnesota California New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Engineering Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Business Social Sciences Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	64.3%	89.2%
Dropout rate	14.3%	10.0%
Transferred out	19.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $88,673 Year 2: $123,527 Year 3: $127,192 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,426 Year 2: $117,473 Year 3: $122,962 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $110,630 Year 2: $103,746 Year 3: $104,908 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,116 Year 2: $83,388 Year 3: $98,461 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,677 Year 2: $92,743 Year 3: $98,271 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $96,308 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,806 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $89,884 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,657 Year 2: $73,035 Year 3: $87,557 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,627 Year 2: $79,199 Year 3: $86,387 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,284 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $83,742	Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $107,256 Year 3: $131,458 Marketing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $113,083 Year 2: $111,992 Year 3: $130,357 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,390 Year 2: $113,091 Year 3: $124,360 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $96,320 Year 2: $117,042 Year 3: $123,777 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,338 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $111,424 Real Estate (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $115,339 Year 3: $104,219 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $115,387 Year 2: $100,213 Year 3: $103,937 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,839 Year 2: $81,997 Year 3: $97,306 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $94,093 Real Estate (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,730 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $91,306

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