Quad

Head-to-head

U. Pittsburgh
U. Wisconsin-Madison

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Wisconsin-Madison's yield is 16 pts higher than U. Pittsburgh's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    U. Wisconsin-Madison's SAT midpoint is 85 points higher than U. Pittsburgh's

    SAT midpoint
  3. 3

    U. Wisconsin-Madison has 1.8× as many undergrads as U. Pittsburgh

    Undergrads
  4. 4

    U. Wisconsin-Madison grads earn $7.7K more ten years out than U. Pittsburgh's ($73,792 vs. $66,125)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    U. Wisconsin-Madison graduates 7 pts more of its students than U. Pittsburgh (89% vs. 82%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    U. Pittsburgh's grants cover 19% of its full price on average, vs. 14% at U. Wisconsin-Madison

    Aid generosity

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

U. Wisconsin-Madison admits 45%, U. Pittsburgh 58%; U. Wisconsin-Madison's yield is higher, at 29%.

Acceptance rate
U. Pittsburgh58%
U. Wisconsin-Madison45%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. PittsburghVery selective
  • U. Wisconsin-MadisonVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
U. Pittsburgh
1280–1450
U. Wisconsin-Madison
1380–1520
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. PittsburghRigor and GPA very importantweighted GPAs
  • U. Wisconsin-MadisonGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

U. Wisconsin-Madison has 1.8× as many undergrads as U. Pittsburgh and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Pittsburgh20.4K
U. Wisconsin-Madison36.9K
Pell Grant share
U. Pittsburgh14%
U. Wisconsin-Madison16%

Majors and faculty

Research and Experimental Psychology leads at U. Pittsburgh, and Computer and Information Sciences at U. Wisconsin-Madison.

Students per faculty member
U. Pittsburgh13 to 1
U. Wisconsin-Madison18 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. PittsburghResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other10%
  • U. Wisconsin-MadisonComputer and Information Sciences, General8%

What each costs

U. Pittsburgh and U. Wisconsin-Madison cost about the same a year on average; U. Pittsburgh's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Pittsburgh$37.8K
U. Wisconsin-Madison$37.9K
Aid generosity
U. Pittsburgh19%
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
U. Pittsburgh$66.1K
U. Wisconsin-Madison$73.8K
Graduation rate
U. Pittsburgh82%
U. Wisconsin-Madison89%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Wisconsin-Madison got more selective while U. Pittsburgh got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. PittsburghGrowing+99%
  • 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;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;University of Wisconsin-Madison (Fall 2026), Fall 2026;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About 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