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A group of UW graduates in black gowns with red accents stand arm-in-arm at Commencement in Camp Randall Stadium as they celebrate their achievement together.

Half a million Badgers and counting

UW–Madison has reached the milestone of 500,000 living alumni. See how they’re spreading the Wisconsin Idea around the state, country and world.

When the UW–Madison Class of 2025 crossed the stage at spring commencement in May, those graduating students led the university to a remarkable milestone: a community of Badger alumni numbering more than half a million.

The university can now boast more than 502,000 living alumni. These accomplished grads live in all 72 counties across Wisconsin and in more than 200 countries around the world. Among them are Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, corporate leaders, start-up founders and Peace Corps volunteers. Astronauts, Olympians, and dairy experts who put food on the American dinner table are just some of the noteworthy achievers who share in the Badger spirit.

“It’s so exciting that the UW alumni community has reached such a significant milestone,” says Sarah Schutt, chief alumni engagement officer for the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association. “The four alumni from the class of 1854 would be astounded to witness the global reach of UW–Madison today and the tremendous, positive impact of alumni over the last 177 years. The university is fortunate to have such a passionate, proud and powerful network to sustain its excellence for the next century and beyond.”

As UW alumni return to campus this week for Homecoming 2025, scroll on to learn more about this extraordinary community of half a million Badgers — and where they’ve landed across the state, country and world.

Map of the United States showing red location markers for the ten cities with the most UW–Madison alumni, and Madison highlighted by a star.
  1. Chicago (10,637)
  2. Minneapolis (10,204)
  3. St. Paul (6,809)
  4. New York (4,114)
  5. Seattle (3,054)
  6. Denver (2,962)
  7. Washington, D.C. (2,430)
  8. Portland (2,410)
  9. Brooklyn (2,205)
  10. San Francisco (2,052)
Pie chart divided into ten sectors by color, representing the ten US states with the most UW–Madison alumni. Wisconsin represents more than half of the pie chart.
A red silhouette of the state of Wisconsin.
WI
202.7K
An orange silhouette of the state of Illinois.
IL
34.8K
A yellow silhouette of the state of Minnesota.
MN
30.4K
A light green silhouette of the state of California.
CA
28.1K
A green silhouette of the state of New York.
NY
13.3K
A teal silhouette of the state of Florida.
FL
10.7K
A blue silhouette of the state of Colorado.
CO
10.6K
A dark blue silhouette of the state of Texas.
TX
9.4K
A purple silhouette of the state of Washington.
WA
8.4K
A dark purple silhouette of the state of Massachusetts.
MA
6.5K
  1. Mainland China/Hong Kong (4,418/929) 
  2. South Korea (2,030)
  3. India (1,597)
  4. Canada (1,297)
  5. Malaysia (841)
  6. Indonesia (684)
  7. Japan (678)
  8. Singapore (494)
  9. Thailand (480)
  10. United Kingdom (473)
World map with red highlights indicating the top ten countries with the most UW–Madison alumni.
Vertical bar chart showing the number of UW–Madison graduates per decade from the 1950s to the 2020s, with a peak in the 2010s.
Note: Graduates who received multiple degrees across decades are counted more than once.
Grayscale image of graduates celebrating at Camp Randall with balloons and confetti in the air.
Release the balloons! The Class of 1978 has something new to celebrate: being part of a community of 500,000 Badger alumni. Tom Rush / UW Archives
Horizontal bar graph displaying the number of alumni in the five UW schools and colleges with the most alumni, with L&S having the highest representation.

Most majors among Letters & Science alumni

  1. Economics (20,940)
  2. Political Science (20,242)
  3. Psychology (18,501)
  4. History (17,617)
  5. English (15,856)
A joyful group of children and adults celebrate outdoors, playfully tossing vibrant colored powders in a festive, Holi-inspired gathering.
Since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961, UW has been a top producer of volunteers. This year, 46 alumni have served around the world, including Jake Nation (above) in Guyana. Photo courtesy of Jake Nation
A partially illuminated moon glows against a dark night sky scattered with stars.

Data courtesy of the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association and public sources.