Quad

Head-to-head

Florida State
U. Wisconsin-Madison

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Florida State costs about $18.5K less per year on average than U. Wisconsin-Madison ($19,462 vs. $37,931, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Florida State's grants cover 30% of its full price on average, vs. 14% at U. Wisconsin-Madison

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    U. Wisconsin-Madison grads earn $12.1K more ten years out than Florida State's ($73,792 vs. $61,675)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    U. Wisconsin-Madison's SAT midpoint is 110 points higher than Florida State's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    Florida State has 11 pts more first-gen students than U. Wisconsin-Madison (28% vs. 17%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    Florida State is 1.9× more selective than U. Wisconsin-Madison

    Acceptance rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Florida State admits 24%, U. Wisconsin-Madison 45%; Florida State's yield is higher, at 31%.

Acceptance rate
Florida State24%
U. Wisconsin-Madison45%
Quad's selectivity
  • Florida StateVery selective
  • U. Wisconsin-MadisonVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
Florida State
1270–1410
U. Wisconsin-Madison
1380–1520
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Florida StateGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • U. Wisconsin-MadisonGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. Wisconsin-Madison is a bit larger than Florida State (36,902 vs. 32,212 undergrads); Florida State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Florida State32.2K
U. Wisconsin-Madison36.9K
Pell Grant share
Florida State23%
U. Wisconsin-Madison16%

Majors and faculty

Psychology leads at Florida State, and Computer and Information Sciences at U. Wisconsin-Madison.

Students per faculty member
Florida State17 to 1
U. Wisconsin-Madison18 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Florida StatePsychology, General7%
  • U. Wisconsin-MadisonComputer and Information Sciences, General8%

What each costs

Florida State costs about $18.5K less a year than U. Wisconsin-Madison on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Florida State$19.5K
U. Wisconsin-Madison$37.9K
Aid generosity
Florida State30%
U. Wisconsin-Madison14%

What each pays off

U. Wisconsin-Madison's former students earn more, a median $73.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Florida State$61.7K
U. Wisconsin-Madison$73.8K
Graduation rate
Florida State83%
U. Wisconsin-Madison89%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Florida StateGrowing+159%
  • U. Wisconsin-MadisonGrowing+159%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;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