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Everything we have for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State and U. Wisconsin-Madison, grouped like the topic pages. Differences only hides the rows where they match or only one reports.
Every row, including ones where these colleges match.
| Metric | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State | U. Wisconsin-Madison |
|---|---|---|
| Getting in | ||
| Admissions data | Fall 2025Fall 2025 | Fall 2026Fall 2026 |
| Acceptance rate | 55% | 45% |
| Acceptance rate, men / women | 52% / 59% | 42% / 48% |
| Acceptance rate, in-state / other states / international | Not published | Not published |
| Yield, in-state / other states / international | Not published | Not published |
| Applicants | 57,700Fall 2025 | 79,600Fall 2026 |
| Admitted | 28,758 | 29,782 |
| Enrolled | 7,289 | 8,587Fall 2026 |
| Yield | 25% | 29% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1280–1450 | 1380–1520 |
| ACT middle 50% | 28–32 | 29–33 |
| Sent an SAT | – | – |
| Sent an ACT | – | – |
| Scored 1400+ on the SAT | – | – |
| Scored 30+ on the ACT | – | – |
| Admission: High school GPA | Required | Required |
| Admission: High school record | Required | Required |
| Admission: Class rank | Not considered | Considered |
| Admission: College-prep program | Considered | Required |
| Admission: Recommendations | Not considered | Required |
| Admission: Essay | Required | Required |
| Admission: Legacy status | Not considered | Not considered |
| Admission: Work experience | Not considered | Considered |
| Admission: Demonstration of competencies | Not considered | Not considered |
| Admission: English proficiency test | Required | Required |
| Admission: Other tests | Not considered | Not considered |
| Average high school GPA | – | – |
| First-years in the top tenth of their class | – | – |
| Early decision | – | – |
| Early action | – | – |
| Wait list | – | – |
| Admission: Rigor of high school record | – | – |
| Admission: Test scores | – | – |
| Admission: Interview | – | – |
| Admission: Extracurricular activities | – | – |
| Admission: Talent or ability | – | – |
| Admission: Character and personal qualities | – | – |
| Admission: First generation | – | – |
| Admission: Geographic residence | – | – |
| Admission: State residency | – | – |
| Admission: Religious affiliation | – | – |
| Admission: Volunteer work | – | – |
| Admission: Demonstrated interest | – | – |
| Test policy | Test-optional | Test-optional |
| Application fee | $60 | $70 |
| Credit for AP exams | Yes | Yes |
| Transfer acceptance rate | – | – |
| Students & campus | ||
| Setting | City: Small | City: Large |
| Carnegie class | Mixed Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Large | Mixed Undergraduate/Graduate-Doctorate Large |
| Research activity | R1: very high research | R1: very high research |
| Student access & earnings | Lower Access, Higher Earnings | Lower Access, Higher Earnings |
| HBCU, tribal, land-grant | Land-grant | Land-grant |
| Minority-serving, single-sex | AANAPISI | None |
| Religious affiliation | None | None |
| Athletics | Division I FBS | Division I FBS |
| Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| ROTC | Army, Navy, Air Force | Army, Navy, Air Force |
| Study abroad | Offered | Offered |
| Undergraduate research program | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar | Semesters | Semesters |
| Undergrads | 30,923 | 36,902 |
| Beds in college housing | 10,213 | 8,949 |
| First-years must live on campus | No | No |
| Men in a fraternity | – | – |
| Women in a sorority | – | – |
| Fraternity/sorority housing | – | – |
| Greek councils present | Panhellenic sororities (NPC), Interfraternity (NIC and IFC)October 2026 | Panhellenic sororities (NPC), Interfraternity (NIC and IFC)October 2026 |
| Pell Grant | 15% | 16% |
| First-gen | 18% | 17% |
| Men / women | 57% / 43% | 47% / 53% |
| Part-time students | 3% | 5% |
| Students 25 and older | 2% | 3% |
| First-years from in state | 61% | 45% |
| First-years from other states | 34% | 46% |
| First-years from abroad | 5% | 9% |
| New transfer students this fall | 1,063 | 1,373 |
| Transfers, share of new undergraduates | 13% | 14% |
| Diversity index | 0.63 | 0.62 |
| Academics | ||
| Students per faculty member | 17 to 1 | 18 to 1 |
| Classes under 20 students | – | – |
| Full-time faculty share | 99% | 86% |
| Average faculty salary | $126,699 | $142,066 |
| Bachelor's degrees awarded | 7,688 | 9,241 |
| Most popular majors | Management Science 8% · Computer and Information Sciences, General 7% · Finance, General 5% | Computer and Information Sciences, General 8% · Economics, General 6% · Psychology, General 5% |
| Instruction spending per student | $15,632 (public, GASB accounting) | $21,417 (public, GASB accounting) |
| Endowment per student | $49,592 (public, GASB accounting) | $131,082 (public, GASB accounting) |
| Tuition share of core revenue | 34% | 21% |
| Cost & aid | ||
| Average cost, all students (est.) | $40,019 | $37,931 |
| Aid generosity (grants ÷ full price) | 12% | 14% |
| Net price, students with grants | $24,912 | $14,235 |
| Sticker price, in-state | $37,252 | $28,905 |
| Sticker price, out-of-state | $58,468 | $58,303 |
| Tuition guarantee | No | No |
| Promise program | Yes | Yes |
| Tuition & fees, in-state | $15,478 | $11,205 |
| Tuition & fees, out-of-state | $36,694 | $40,603 |
| First-years paying out-of-state rates | 39% | 52% |
| First-years with grants | 60% | 35% |
| Average grant | $9,168 | $17,741 |
| Aid from the college | 60% | 32% |
| Need-based aid up to | Little need-based aid above $110K | Little need-based aid above $110K |
| Merit for students without need | – | – |
| Published promise | – | – |
| Aid forms | – | – |
| Aid priority date or deadline | – | – |
| Need met, first-years | – | – |
| Average aid package, first-years | – | – |
| College grant dollars given as merit | – | – |
| Aid for international students | – | – |
| Outcomes | ||
| Median earnings (10 yrs) | $81,698 | $73,792 |
| Graduation rate | 87% | 89% |
| Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients | 79% | 86% |
| Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan | 88% | 91% |
| Pell graduation gap | 9 pts lower | 4 pts lower |
| Finished within 4 years: Pell recipients | Not published | Not published |
| Finished within 4 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | Not published |
| Finished within 4 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | Not published |
| Finished within 5 years: Pell recipients | Not published | Not published |
| Finished within 5 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | Not published | Not published |
| Finished within 5 years: all first-time full-time | Not published | Not published |
| Graduated in 6 years, White students | 88% | 90% |
| Graduated in 6 years, Asian students | 91% | 90% |
| Graduated in 6 years, Hispanic/Latino students | 83% | 87% |
| Graduated in 6 years, Black students | 76% | 86% |
| Graduated in 6 years, students of two or more races | 84% | 85% |
| Graduated in 6 years, international students | 75% | 87% |
| Retention rate | 93% | 96% |
| Credential within 4 years, all students | 71% | 73% |
| Credential within 8 years, all students | 87% | 89% |
| Enrolled at another college, 8 years on | 9% | 7% |
| Median debt | $21,500 | $20,484 |
| Undergrads with a federal loan | 34% | 20% |
| Median debt, Pell Grant recipients | $19,500 | $16,848 |
| Website | vt.edu | wisc.edu |
Sources:Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26;IPEDS directory (Institutional Characteristics: HD), 2025–26;College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;National directories of campus chapters and groups, October 2026;College Scorecard, Fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part C, residence of first-time students), Fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part A, enrollment by level), Fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;College Scorecard, 2023–24;Common Data Set, 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