University of Wisconsin-Madison Rankings 2026-27

University of Wisconsin-Madison Overall Rankings 2026-2027

UW-Madison’s rank spread runs from #36 in ARWU to #131 in QS in the latest published cycle, a 95-position gap that shows how the choice of methodology changes the answer for the same university.

The four global bodies cluster between #36 (ARWU) and #131 (QS), with the research-led median sitting at #56. ARWU and U.S. News reward published research and citations, where UW-Madison records its strongest scores. For an Indian applicant, the alumni brand stays inside the global top-60 on three of four bodies, so the degree value holds even with the QS slide.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students

Three signals matter most for an Indian applicant: how UW-Madison’s rank compares to a same-tier IIT, how its Indian-focused CD rank compares to its QS global rank, and which subjects sit inside the global top-25.

University of Wisconsin-Madison QS World University Rankings 2027

UW-Madison has slipped 48 positions in QS World University Rankings since 2023, with the sharpest single-year drop coming between QS 2026 and QS 2027. QS, which ranks universities mainly on academic reputation, employer reputation, citations and faculty-student ratio, released the 2027 edition in June 2026.

The five-year average sits at #108, well above the current #131, which means today’s Indian applicant is targeting a university 23 positions below its own recent average. The 21-position move between QS 2026 and QS 2027 is the steepest one-year shift in the window. The QS slide does not repeat on the research-led bodies, which signals a survey-reputation softening rather than a research-output drop.

Key insight: UW-Madison’s QS 2027 rank still places it 3 positions ahead of IIT Bombay (#134) and 13 positions behind IIT Delhi (#118), so it stays a mid-tier Big Ten alternative for Indian applicants who miss the top IIT cutoff.

Read More: University of Wisconsin-Madison Cost of Living 2026 for Indian Students

Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Collegedunia Study Abroad ranks UW-Madison at #46 out of 824 universities globally, placing it 85 positions higher than its QS rank because the CD methodology weights India-applicant outcomes more heavily.

The strongest CD positions are Social Studies (#50 globally) and Engineering (#57 globally), both inside the global top-60. For an Indian student weighing Big Ten options, the CD USA #24 rank places UW-Madison in the same band as Penn State and Indiana University. The 85-position gap between CD #46 and QS #131 is the widest cross-body spread for this university.

India-relevance: Six of nine CD stream ranks sit inside the global top-75, which means an Indian applicant picking any stream other than Law lands in a top-quartile programme on the CD methodology.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings

UW-Madison has held its THE rank inside a tight band between #49 and #63 across the last five editions, with 2026 the second-strongest year in the window. THE, which ranks universities on teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook, released the 2026 edition in October 2025.

The five-year average is #54, almost identical to the latest #53. The 10-position climb from THE 2024 (#63) to THE 2026 (#53) reverses the slide seen in QS over the same window. For Indian applicants, the consequence is that THE’s research-led methodology values UW-Madison consistently, even when QS does not.

Trend signal: UW-Madison’s THE rank has stayed inside the global top-65 every year since 2024, which means a UW-Madison thesis advisor or research output retains peer prestige on the global research index.

University of Wisconsin-Madison ARWU (Shanghai) Rankings

UW-Madison has slipped only 5 positions in ARWU since 2021, drifting from #31 to #36, then holding flat at #36 across both 2024 and 2025. ARWU, which counts Nobel laureates, Highly Cited Researchers and Nature/Science publications, released the 2025 edition in August 2025.

The five-year average is #34, two positions ahead of the latest #36. The flat #36 line in 2024 and 2025 marks stability after three years of single-position annual drift. ARWU’s top-40 hold means UW-Madison’s research-output signal stays the strongest of any global body covered in this article.

Note: ARWU has placed UW-Madison inside the global top-40 for five consecutive years (2021-2025), a stability streak no other ranking body matches for this university.

University of Wisconsin-Madison U.S. News Best Global University Rankings

UW-Madison has climbed 14 positions in U.S. News Best Global Universities across the last three editions, the strongest upward move recorded on any body in this article. U.S. News released the 2025-2026 edition in October 2025.

The three-year climb of 14 positions is the largest gain across the four bodies covered here. U.S. News weights bibliometric output and global research reputation, both areas where UW-Madison’s R1 research base feeds the score. For Indian applicants, the US-domestic and US-global views of UW-Madison are converging upward in 2026, even as QS slides.

What it signals: U.S. News and ARWU now agree that UW-Madison sits inside the global top-60, a research-output consensus that the QS #131 rank does not capture.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Subject Rankings

UW-Madison’s strongest subject ranks come from Education, Communication, Psychology and Statistics, where it sits inside the global top-25 on at least one official body. The Wisconsin School of Business MBA programme is the only ranked stream-specific programme.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Education Studies Rank

UW-Madison is ranked #17 in Education Studies in THE 2026. This is its highest single-subject rank and places the discipline 36 positions ahead of the university’s overall THE #53. For Indian applicants in education research or PhD pathways, the subject-vs-overall gap means the programme sits in the global top-20 on THE’s methodology.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Communication Rank

UW-Madison is ranked #11 in Communication in ARWU GRAS 2025. This is the only sub-#15 subject placement the university holds across the bodies covered here. The Communication score is 25 positions ahead of its overall ARWU #36.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Social Sciences and Psychology Ranks

UW-Madison ranks #21 in Social Sciences in THE 2026 and #32 in Psychology in THE 2026. ARWU GRAS 2025 places Psychology at #16, Sociology at #23 and Statistics at #19. These subjects together form the second-strongest discipline cluster after Education and Communication.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Computer Science and Engineering Ranks

UW-Madison ranks #55 in Computer Science in THE 2026 and #73 in Engineering in THE 2026. Both are below the global top-30 mark held by the top US engineering schools. For Indian STEM applicants, these are mid-tier global subject ranks rather than top-20 ones.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Business and MBA Ranks

UW-Madison ranks #53 in Business and Economics in THE 2026. The Wisconsin School of Business MBA is ranked #94 in QS Global MBA 2025, placing it outside the global top-50 MBA programmes. ARWU GRAS 2025 also ranks Economics at #25.

Check out the top acceptance rate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Other University of Wisconsin-Madison Subject Ranks (THE 2026)

 Explore the placement and job options at Wisconsin-Madison University

University of Wisconsin-Madison Rankings: Indian Student Outlook

For Indian applicants, the most useful signal in UW-Madison’s rank profile is the 85-position gap between its Collegedunia Study Abroad #46 rank and its QS World #131 rank. That gap reflects how an India-tailored methodology values its US public Ivy League profile and Big Ten alumni network more than QS does.

Popular programs for Indian students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison:

• MS Computer Science: a Big Ten alternative if MIT or CMU cutoffs are missed, with THE Computer Science #55.
• MS Business Analytics and MS Data Science: backed by Statistics #19 in ARWU GRAS 2025.
• MS Engineering (Mechanical and Electrical specialisations): THE Engineering #73, Big Ten R1 research scale.
• MBA at the Wisconsin School of Business: QS Global MBA #94 in 2025.
• MS Statistics: one of UW-Madison’s three sub-#20 ARWU GRAS subjects.

The strongest UW-Madison subjects for Indian-popular pathways all sit inside the global top-100 on at least one body. The university’s student reviews on Collegedunia echo the rank-based signals for STEM and research strength.