Total campus enrollment at UW–Madison has hit a record 50,662 students — the first time the figure has topped 50,000 — and the new freshman class includes the second-highest number ever of Wisconsin residents, according to a recent press release.
The number of applications from prospective freshmen and transfer students reached a high this year at 67,979.
There are 9,095 new freshmen and transfer students on campus this fall. Of those, 4,436 are Wisconsin residents. The freshman class of 7,966 students includes 3,813 Wisconsin residents, an increase over last year, despite the university’s purposeful reduction of the overall size of its freshman class by hundreds.
The university continues to invest heavily in Wisconsin resident students. Almost one in four Wisconsin residents new to campus this fall will be covered by either Bucky’s Tuition Promise or the new Bucky’s Pell Pathway. The latter provides a route to a debt-free education for Wisconsin residents who qualify. A total of 1,084 Wisconsin students new to campus this fall — 917 freshmen and 167 transfer students — are receiving one of UW–Madison’s two primary tuition promise programs.
The freshman class also includes the highest percentage of underrepresented students of color in the university’s history, rising from 16.6% last year to 17.8% this year.
Additionally, the number of graduate and professional students rose from 12,651 last year to 12,825 this year.
Enrollment figures are based on the 10th day of classes, the official student census for reporting purposes.
