University of Michigan vs. University of Wisconsin–Madison

Michigan is the tougher admit by a wide margin, taking about 15.6% of applicants against roughly 45.2% at Wisconsin in the most recent cycle. Its admitted profiles run a notch higher as well, with a middle-50% SAT of 1360–1530 and ACT of 31–34 next to Wisconsin's 1370–1490 and 29–33. Both fill most of the class with residents, so out-of-state odds tighten below those headline rates: about 45% of Michigan undergraduates and 51% of Wisconsin's come from outside the state.

The two schools split on this. Michigan requires standardized scores from every applicant, and its enrolled first-years post a middle-50% SAT of 1360–1530 and ACT of 31–34. Wisconsin stays test-optional through the spring 2027 application cycle, so you don't have to submit, though scores count if you do; among submitters the middle 50% landed at 1370–1490 on the SAT and 29–33 on the ACT.

Michigan packs far more weight into computing and engineering. Computer science ranks as its single most popular field at about 25% of degrees, with engineering adding another 23%, so the two together claim nearly half the class. Those same fields sit lower at Wisconsin inside a broader mix: engineering accounts for about 10% of degrees and computing about 9%, trailing business and the social sciences. An undergraduate who wants CS and engineering at the center finds the heavier concentration at Michigan, while Wisconsin still teaches both within a wider university.

Wisconsin posts the lower out-of-state sticker, charging about $44,191 in tuition and fees against $63,962 at Michigan, a gap near $20,000 a year before aid. Michigan counters by meeting more demonstrated need on average (91% versus 89% at Wisconsin) and reaching more students with it: roughly 39% of Michigan first-years draw need-based aid averaging about $35,086, compared with 29% and roughly $31,125 at Wisconsin. So the net gap closes for a high-need applicant even as full-pay families pay less at Wisconsin. In-state tuition also runs lower in Madison, about $12,166 against $18,346 at Michigan.

Business carries more relative weight at Wisconsin, where it stands as the single largest field at about 18% of degrees, ahead of the social sciences and the life sciences. At Michigan business reaches about 20% of degrees yet trails computer science and engineering rather than topping the list. Wisconsin surrounds a business-led campus with broad liberal arts and sciences, while Michigan pairs its business strength with heavy computing and engineering.

Wisconsin runs larger at the undergraduate level, enrolling about 39,083 undergraduates to Michigan's 34,454, and it teaches at a slightly higher student-faculty ratio of 18:1 versus 15:1. Retention and completion stay high at both: Michigan posts a 97% first-year retention rate and 93% six-year graduation rate, with Wisconsin close behind at 96% and 90%. Students who land at either school overwhelmingly stay and finish.