UW students top 50,000 for the first time, highest enrollment in history

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - UW Madison has surpassed a personal record and now has the highest number of students enrolled – for the first time, the number exceeds 50,000.

With 50,662 students total, UW also has the second highest number of Wisconsin residents in their freshman class at 3,813. This happened even though the university said they purposely reduced the overall size of its freshman class by hundreds.

“I chose UW Madison to pursue my PhD in part because the educational psychology program is top ranked in the nation,” said new graduate student Samantha Macksey.

The number of prospective freshman and transfer students also hit a record this year at 67,979 and UW–Madison continues to attract students from all over the world. The freshman class has 663 international students.

The freshman class also includes the highest percentage of underrepresented students of color in the university’s history, rising from 16.6% last year to 17.8% this year.

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