Key differences on Getting in

1
U. Wisconsin-Madison's yield is 16 pts higher than U. Pittsburgh's
Yield rate
2
U. Wisconsin-Madison's SAT midpoint is 85 points higher than U. Pittsburgh's
SAT midpoint
3
U. Wisconsin-Madison admits 45% vs. 58% at U. Pittsburgh
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. Wisconsin-Madison45%Most selective

U. Pittsburgh58%

Applicants

U. Wisconsin-Madison79.6KMost

U. Pittsburgh60.9K

Admitted

U. Wisconsin-Madison29.8K

U. Pittsburgh35.4KMost

Yield rate

U. Wisconsin-Madison29%Highest

U. Pittsburgh13%

Quad's selectivity

U. Wisconsin-MadisonVery selective
U. PittsburghVery selective

Men and women

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

Women admitted

U. Wisconsin-Madison48%

U. Pittsburgh60%

Men admitted

U. Wisconsin-Madison42%

U. Pittsburgh56%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. Wisconsin-Madison

1380–1520

U. Pittsburgh

1280–1450

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

ACT composite,

U. Wisconsin-Madison

29–33

U. Pittsburgh

29–33

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

Submitted SAT

U. Wisconsin-Madison15%

U. Pittsburgh40%

Submitted ACT

U. Wisconsin-Madison29%

U. Pittsburgh8%

Test policy

U. Wisconsin-MadisonTest-optional
U. PittsburghTest-optional

How they read a record

U. Wisconsin-Madison
GPA, the high school record, and a college-prep program are required; class rank is considered.
U. Pittsburgh
and GPA are both very important; class rank and tests are both considered. This college reports (average 4.06), so its GPA figures can't show how crowded unweighted GPAs are.

What they look at

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

All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;University of Wisconsin-Madison (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, most recent release;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About 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