The real 4-year cost of University of Wisconsin-Madison in Wisconsin
Over the 18 years from 2008 to 2026, published tuition and required fees at University of Wisconsin-Madison went from $7,564 to $12,416, an average of 1.6% a year. The 2026–27 figure is the school's own announced rate.
2026–27 rate announced: $12,416Base (non-differential) undergraduate rate from UW System Board of Regents 2026-27 Tuition and Fee Schedule for UW-Madison, page 49; tuition + segregated fees, semester figures x2.source
Read with care: this school's history shows a tuition freeze or guarantee, so a smooth projection may not hold.
2008–2030: history and projection
| Year | Published | Projected estimate | Estimate range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $7,564 | – | – |
| 2009 | $8,310 | – | – |
| 2010 | $8,983 | – | – |
| 2011 | $9,665 | – | – |
| 2012 | $10,378 | – | – |
| 2013 | $10,403 | – | – |
| 2014 | $10,410 | – | – |
| 2015 | $10,415 | – | – |
| 2016 | $10,488 | – | – |
| 2017 | $10,533 | – | – |
| 2018 | $10,555 | – | – |
| 2019 | $10,725 | – | – |
| 2020 | $10,742 | – | – |
| 2021 | $10,720 | – | – |
| 2022 | $10,796 | – | – |
| 2023 | $11,205 | – | – |
| 2026 | $12,416 | $12,416 | – |
| 2027 | – | $12,616 | $12,196–$13,036 |
| 2028 | – | $12,819 | $11,979–$13,688 |
| 2029 | – | $13,025 | $11,766–$14,371 |
| 2030 | – | $13,235 | $11,557–$15,089 |
If you pay full sticker
Projected tuition + fees, entering fall 2026.
| Year 1 | $12,416 |
| Year 2 | $12,616 |
| Year 3 | $12,819 |
| Year 4 | $13,025 |
| 4-year total | $50,876 |
Two aid scenarios
4-year out-of-pocket total.
- $10,000/yr flat scholarship
- $10,876
- Flat aid doesn't grow, so it covers less each year.
- 50%-of-tuition scholarship
- $28,983
- Percentage aid keeps pace with tuition.
On-campus housing & meals
Room & board (housing plus the standard meal plan), on top of tuition.
- Announced 2026–27
- $14,994/ yr
- rising 5.0% / yr
- Projected 4-year add-on
- $64,587
School’s own published rateHousing and meals, cost of attendance.source
Books & supplies typically add ~$1,200 a year (national median, not included).
Housing here has kept rising even while tuition was frozen; the creep moved to room & board.
Run your own numbers
Enter your actual scholarship offer to see your real 4-year total.
See my 4-year cost at University of Wisconsin-Madison4-year schools with similar prices in Wisconsin
Closest to University of Wisconsin-Madison by published tuition and fees. Similar sticker prices can still compound very differently.
Use this data
Published figures for University of Wisconsin-Madison from federal IPEDS data through 2023, free to download or embed with attribution. The embed stays current as the data updates.