Madison Reporter

The University of Wisconsin–Madison has been ranked 39th overall among 438 public and private doctoral institutions in the latest U.S. News & World Report’s best colleges rankings for 2025. The university also secured the 13th position among public universities.

Several undergraduate programs at UW–Madison received top 20 rankings, including engineering, computer science, business, and economics. The Wisconsin School of Business’s undergraduate real estate program was notably ranked first nationwide.

“We are proud that we deliver a high-quality education across a great variety of disciplines, and that success continues to be recognized in these rankings,” said UW–Madison Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. “That said, rankings are just one of many measures of any school’s success, including ours.”

The U.S. News rankings evaluate colleges based on factors such as reputation among peers, value, social mobility, graduation rates, faculty resources, standardized test scores, and faculty research. Last year, UW–Madison was ranked 35th overall and 12th among public universities; five years ago in 2019 it was ranked 49th overall.

In the specific undergraduate program rankings for 2025:

- Business: Ranked 18th overall (five-way tie) and ninth among publics. It held the first place in real estate and second in insurance/risk management.

- Computer Science: Ranked 16th (three-way tie) overall and ninth among public universities.

- Economics: Ranked 19th (two-way tie) overall and fourth (two-way tie) among public universities.

- Engineering: Ranked 13th overall and seventh among public universities.

- Nursing: Ranked 26th (13-way tie) overall and 19th (eight-way tie) among public universities.

- Psychology: Ranked 22nd (seven-way tie) overall and eighth (four-way tie) among public universities.

Other notable categories where UW–Madison scored well include:

- Best College for Veterans: Ranked 20th overall and 13th among public institutions.

- Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects: Ranked 42nd.

- Best Value Schools: Ranked 89th for the second consecutive year.

To view the full list of rankings, click here.

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