Key differences on Getting in

1
U. Wisconsin-Madison's yield is 11 pts higher than U. Massachusetts-Amherst's
Yield rate
2
U. Wisconsin-Madison's SAT midpoint is 45 points higher than U. Massachusetts-Amherst's
SAT midpoint
3
U. Wisconsin-Madison admits 45% vs. 60% at U. Massachusetts-Amherst
Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate

U. Massachusetts-Amherst60%

U. Wisconsin-Madison45%Most selective

Applicants

U. Massachusetts-Amherst50.3K

U. Wisconsin-Madison79.6KMost

Admitted

U. Massachusetts-Amherst30KMost

U. Wisconsin-Madison29.8K

Yield rate

U. Massachusetts-Amherst18%

U. Wisconsin-Madison29%Highest

Quad's selectivity

U. Massachusetts-AmherstVery selective
U. Wisconsin-MadisonVery selective

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted

U. Massachusetts-Amherst67%

U. Wisconsin-Madison48%

Men admitted

U. Massachusetts-Amherst52%

U. Wisconsin-Madison42%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Massachusetts-Amherst

1310–1500

U. Wisconsin-Madison

1380–1520

Axis runs 1200–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

U. Massachusetts-Amherst

30–33

U. Wisconsin-Madison

29–33

Axis runs 25–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT

U. Massachusetts-Amherst22%

U. Wisconsin-Madison15%

Submitted ACT

U. Massachusetts-Amherst3%

U. Wisconsin-Madison29%

Test policy

U. Massachusetts-AmherstTest-optional
U. Wisconsin-MadisonTest-optional

How they read a record

U. Massachusetts-Amherst
GPA, the high school record, and a college-prep program are required; class rank is considered.
U. Wisconsin-Madison
GPA, the high school record, and a college-prep program are required; class rank is considered.

What they look at

Factor	U. Massachusetts-Amherst	U. Wisconsin-Madison
High school GPA	Required	Required
High school record	Required	Required
Class rank	Considered	Considered
College-prep program	Required	Required
Recommendations	Required	Required
Essay	Required	Required
Legacy status	Not considered	Not considered
Work experience	Considered	Considered
Demonstration of competencies	Required	Not considered
English proficiency test	Required	Required
Other tests	Not considered	Not considered

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of Wisconsin-Madison (Fall 2026), Fall 2026About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why