3 key takeaways from UW-Madison’s fall enrollment numbers
“Enrollment at UW-Madison is steady and stable, with a minor 1.6% fluctuation compared to fall 2025. Fall 2026 is our second highest undergraduate enrollment ever,” Greg Bump, a university spokesperson, told the Cap Times in an email Monday.
The university “recently graduated two larger classes and, along with peers, has seen declines in its master’s and Ph.D. student population, which may have been influenced by research funding and international issues,” Bump added.
UW-Madison welcomed 8,587 first-year students and 1,194 new transfer students this fall. While the number of transfer students decreased from the previous year, the number of first-year students marked a slight uptick.
The total of first-year students coming from Wisconsin continued to climb, with 3,920 residents among this fall’s freshmen class.
The university reported a record number of applicants seeking spots in its incoming class. Applications have steadily increased since 2009, and the number of new freshman applicants has more than doubled in the past decade from over 32,000 in 2016 to nearly 74,000 last school year.
UW-Madison says 75,234 students applied to become first-year Badgers this fall.
