University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) vs UW-Madison

Nestled in the heartland of America, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) stand as two prominent beacons of higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they offer distinct experiences shaped by their unique identities. UNL boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. UW-Madison, on the other hand, attracts a more diverse student body, fostering a vibrant and inclusive campus community. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the nuances that set these two universities apart, including popular majors, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	University of Wisconsin-Madison
Overview
Location	Lincoln, Nebraska	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	80.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.1%	60.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1090 - 1320	1320 - 1500
ACT range	22 - 28	26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	85.0%	55.0%
Total number of applicants	17,775	53,781
Total number of admissions given out	14,411	32,459
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,736	8,465
Yield rate	32.9%	26.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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: $26,316 Out of state: $43,446	In state: $27,418 Out of state: $55,306
Average net price	$18,403	$13,484
Tuition	In state: $7,770 Out of state: $24,900	In state: $9,273 Out of state: $37,161
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,485 Meal plan: $4,653	Room/dormitory: $7,367 Meal plan: $4,100
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $8,608	54.0% Average amount $10,932
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $4,691	26.0% Average amount $5,175
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $13,909	6.0% Average amount $16,550

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	19,552 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%	34,561 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Graduate students	4,879 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%	12,455 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	25.7%	50.6%
International students	7.4%	13.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,936	9,226
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Nebraska Illinois Minnesota Kansas Iowa	Wisconsin Illinois Minnesota California New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Agriculture Education Business Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Business Social Sciences Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	66.4%	89.2%
Dropout rate	10.7%	10.0%
Transferred out	21.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,695 Year 2: $91,017 Year 3: $102,607 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,888 Year 2: $78,134 Year 3: $86,893 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,533 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $86,584 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,494 Year 2: $68,918 Year 3: $78,265 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,969 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $75,873 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,040 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $74,823 Education, Other (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,325 Year 3: $73,798 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $61,124 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $73,111 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,572 Year 2: $66,168 Year 3: $72,183 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,299 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $71,063	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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