Latest data show how UW provides educational opportunities, builds the workforce and economy all around the state
Key takeaways:
•The University of Wisconsin–Madison partners with more than 3,000 state businesses and organizations every year, spending at least $471 million on goods, services, and grants.
•The 17,816 Wisconsin-resident undergraduates at UW–Madison receive $113 million in institutional financial aid. A significant number—about 20%—receive financial aid that covers the full amount of tuition and fees.
•More than 191,000 UW–Madison alumni live in Wisconsin; nearly 50,000 of them graduated within the last ten years.
•You can view county-level impact on the Wisconsin Idea Database website here: https://wisconsinidea.wisc.edu/county
Across Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin–Madison is making a significant impact on our students, communities, health care and workforce, according to the latest available data from the Wisconsin Idea Database. The project, which highlights connections between UW–Madison and the state of Wisconsin, outlines county and statewide enrollment trends, alumni counts, community partnerships and projects, financial relationships and more.
Expanding access to higher education
UW–Madison is committed to helping Wisconsin residents get an affordable top-ranking education. As of fall 2024, there were at least 17,816 undergraduates from Wisconsin enrolled at UW–Madison. Of those students, nearly 20% were receiving aid covering the full amount of tuition and fees through Bucky’s Tuition Promise, Bucky’s Pell Pathway or the Badger Promise. Overall, the university awarded about $113 million in financial aid to Wisconsin-resident undergraduates in 2023-24. More than 66% of all UW–Madison students who graduated in 2023-24 graduated debt-free.
Two incoming classes have benefited from Bucky’s Pell Pathway, which covers the full financial need for Federal Pell Grant-eligible students, including tuition, housing, food and other expenses. And the initial cohort of students benefiting from the Wisconsin Tribal Educational Promise enrolled in Fall 2024. This new program offers financial support to cover the full cost of pursuing an undergraduate degree for state residents who are enrolled members of federally recognized Wisconsin Indian tribes.
The university’s efforts are also reaching the state’s PK-12 students thanks to the Wisconsin Teacher Pledge, which covers the full cost of in-state tuition and licensing fees for any UW School of Education student that commits to teaching in Wisconsin for at least three to four years after graduation. During the 2024-25 academic year, 475 teachers who participated in this program were teaching in classrooms across 105 Wisconsin public school districts and 15 private schools. As of this spring, 1,009 students had taken the Teacher Pledge.
Training the state’s future healthcare professionals
UW–Madison partners with more than 500 healthcare facilities around the state to provide critical on-the-job training to UW–Madison medical, nursing and pharmacy students. This total includes statewide and regional healthcare systems and retail pharmacies, non-profit and public sector institutions of all sizes, small hometown businesses and clinics and everything in between.
Many graduates stay in state and continue to provide high-quality care. As of November 2024, more than 19,100 alumni of UW–Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health, School of Nursing and School of Pharmacy live in Wisconsin — in all 72 counties.
Building Wisconsin’s economy
Healthcare professionals aren’t the only ones who love to call Wisconsin home after graduation. More than 191,000 UW–Madison alumni currently live in Wisconsin, in every county in the state. More than 49,000 of them, or 27%, graduated within the last 10 years.
Overall, 73% of undergraduates who graduated in the 2023-24 academic year who were planning to work, serve in the military, or participate in a volunteer/service program had accepted a position at the time of graduation, according to the most recent First Destination Survey. And 87% agreed that their education at UW–Madison prepared them for the next step in their career path.
The university also supports the economy by working directly with Wisconsin’s businesses. Between July 2023 and June 2024, UW–Madison partnered with more than 3,750 businesses, individuals and organizations across the state, paying out more than $471 million in contracts for goods and services and other payments (such as grants). These transactions include everything from major ongoing vendor relationships to one-time purchases.
Employers from across Wisconsin seek out professional development opportunities at UW–Madison. During the 2023-24 fiscal year, employees at 570 Wisconsin businesses and organizations benefited from course offerings from Interdisciplinary Professional Programs (InterPro) through the UW–Madison College of Engineering. In that same period, 190 state businesses sent employees to the Center for Professional and Executive Development in the Wisconsin School of Business.
UW–Madison remains central to advancing Wisconsin’s world-class dairy and cheese-making reputation. Thirty-seven different cheese manufacturers employ Master Cheesemakers (as certified by the Center for Dairy Research) at 42 Wisconsin facilities.
Local collaborations, research and outreach
The Wisconsin Idea Database website details hundreds of individual collaborations between UW–Madison and Wisconsin communities, including a report for each county.
For more than a century, the UW Division of Extension has supported local leaders and volunteers all over the state in focus areas that include agriculture, health and well-being, families and finances and natural resources. They work year-round with well over 2,000 distinct partners that serve anywhere from one to all 72 counties.
Badger Talks is a unique program that connects UW–Madison experts with local communities around the state, engaging Wisconsin residents on topics they care about. Between July 2023 and June 2024, Badger Talks facilitated 237 individual talks hosted around the state, in 42 counties and 102 cities, towns and villages, from Ashland to Waukesha. 117 individual speakers hosted 204 in-person, 26 virtual and 7 hybrid events, sharing the latest UW research at the local level.
Another example is the UniverCity Year program, in which UW–Madison students and faculty partner with Wisconsin counties and local governments to help solve their real-world problems through coursework. As of May 2025, UniverCity has partnered with 38 Wisconsin local governments, including 21 counties and 17 cities, towns, and villages.
About the Wisconsin Idea Database project
The Wisconsin Idea Database project, managed by staff in UW–Madison’s Office of Strategic Communication, demonstrates the ways the university benefits every part of the state through career preparation, economic development, innovative partnerships and workforce development. It is part of a broader campus commitment to improving the lives of all Wisconsinites through world-class academics, research and service.
