The 5 Hardest Colleges To Get Into In Wisconsin

Wisconsin is home to some well-known colleges and universities. With the extensive University of Wisconsin system and its crown jewel UW Madison or schools like Marquette and Lawrence University, the Badger State has some pretty great options for higher education.

Being I recently shared the most difficult schools to get into across the border in Minnesota, I figured why not dive into what hardest schools to get into in Wisconsin are as we get into the 2024-2025 school year.

Wisconsin's 5 Most Difficult Colleges & Universities To Get Into

5: Northland College - Ashland, WI

With an enrollment of only around 500 undergraduate students, this small Northern Wisconsin college isn't very big, but it also isn't easy to get admitted.

Northland College in Ashland is ranked the third-best liberal arts college by Niche, making this small school an intriguing one for those looking for a good education in the North.

Using data from CollegeSimply, they say Northland College ranks highly in resources for students, scoring 8 out of 10 in that rating category. Their second-highest category is academics, scoring 7 out of 10.

READ MORE: These are the toughest schools to get into across the border in Minnesota

CollegeSimply says Northland College's acceptance rate is 68%, making it the 5th most difficult college to get into in the state.

4: Beloit College - Beloit, WI

On the polar opposite side of the state near the southern border is Beloit College, which CollegeSimply says is among the top 40% of 4-year colleges in the United States.

In CollegeSimply's scores for Beloit College, they call it an incredible value, giving it a 10 out of 10 score in value. Along with a high grade in value, they have outstanding academic rankings, getting a 9 out of 10 in their scoring.

Combine great value with outstanding academics, and you can see why a lot of people might be interested in attending Beloit College. With an acceptance rate of 66%, it is the 4th toughest school to get into in Wisconsin.

3: Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design - Milwaukee, WI

This private college offers a smaller school experience in Wisconsin's largest city. With an average enrollment of around 900 students, it isn't a very large school compared to some others in the state.

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design has been around since the 1970s, focusing on programs like illustration, animation, design, and interior architecture.

Unlike the other schools on this list, CollegeSimply doesn't have any scoring for Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. Niche, on the other hand, gives grades to schools in various categories. The school's highest marks come in Diversity (B+) and Academics (B-) as well as the overall campus (B-).

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With an acceptance rate of 64% according to CollegeSimply, this makes it the third-toughest school to get into in Wisconsin.

2: Milwaukee School of Engineering - Milwaukee, WI

Another Milwaukee school (surprisingly not Marquette) towards the top of the list of tough schools to get into.

Milwaukee School of Engineering has a reported enrollment of around 2,700 students, making it considerably bigger than the other Milwaukee school on this list. CollegeSimply scores this school very highly in the areas of value and academics, giving it a 9 out of 10 in both categories.

With an acceptance rate of 63%, Milwaukee School of Engineering is the second-toughest school to get into in Wisconsin.

1: University of Wisconsin Madison - Madison, WI

Atop the list of toughest schools to get into in Wisconsin is the one and only UW Madison.

CollegeSimply gives excellent scores to UW Madison in several categories, with a 10 out of 10 in academics and  9 out of 10 in both value and outcomes.

Getting admitted into the Badger State's biggest school isn't easy, though. Compared to all of the other colleges and universities in the state, UW Madison's 49% acceptance rate is a whole 14 percentage points lower than the next most difficult school to get into in Wisconsin.