UW–Madison 13th among public universities in Wall Street Journal rankings

The University of Wisconsin–Madison is 13th for the second year in a row among public universities and has risen to 58th overall among 796 public and private colleges in the latest Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education rankings. Last year, the university ranked 65th overall.

The rankings are based on 15 key indicators that assess colleges in four areas: outcomes, resources, engagement and environment.

UW–Madison performed especially well in engagement, scoring 87.4 out of 100, ranking 18th overall in the category. The engagement score represents 20 percent of the overall ranking and measures students’ engagement with their studies, student recommendation, their interaction with their teachers and the number of accredited programs.

The university also performed well in outcomes, scoring 86.2 out of 100, ranking 37 overall. The score represents 40 percent of the overall ranking and looks at graduation rates, value added to graduate salary, debt after graduation and academic reputation.

Last week, U.S. News & World Report listed UW–Madison 14th among public universities and 42nd overall for the second year in a row.

UW–Madison has performed well in other recent rankings, including:

• Washington Monthly magazine, first among public universities and fourth overall in the 2021 College Guide and Rankings.
• 19th nationally and 25th worldwide in the Center for World University Rankings.
• 32nd in the world by The Three University Missions, which evaluates the quality of education, scientific work, and the universities’ contribution to society.
• Academic Ranking of World Universities, 31st in the world, 21st in the United States, second among Big Ten schools.

• 58th worldwide in the Times Higher Education’s (THE) World University Rankings.