UW-Madison Overview

Over the years the University has consistently ranked among the top four universities in the United States both for research expenditures and for number of PhDs granted. Research expenditure is over $400 million annually. Approximately two-thirds is federal funding, while the rest comes from a variety of sources, including the state and various private companies and foundations. There are more than 5,000 separate research projects currently underway in a staggering number of fields such as biotechnology, micromachinery, lake ecology, and the sociology of the American family.

Founded in 1849 as a public land-grant institution, the Madison campus consisting of 130 departments is also one of the most comprehensive universities in the world. Its libraries hold over five million volumes. Over 40,000 students are enrolled at the University, which offers over 4500 courses. Students come from every state in the country and from over 125 nations around the world. These are among the reasons that the UW-Madison was ranked 7th among public universities for undergraduate education by the 2004 U.S. News and World Report.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is built on a hill overlooking the state capitol building and three lakes. The campus, extending one and a half miles along the shores of Lake Mendota and covering over 900 acres, is one of the most beautiful campuses world-wide. Some of the major attractions on the Madison campus are the Elvehjem Museum of Art, the Arboretum, the Wisconsin Union Terrace on the shores of Lake Mendota, and the collection of major intercollegiate athletic events.

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation is a unique foundation that grants over $15 million each year to support research by UW-Madison faculty. Through patenting and licensing services, the Foundation also assists faculty in making the results of their research available to the public. Established in 1925 using profits from vitamin D patents, the Foundation supports research in all areas, with an emphasis on new faculty members.

In the mid-1980's, the University established a successful new 325-acre research park to attract new industry to the area and to encourage partnerships between businesses and university researchers. The University is currently expanding this research park, roughly doubling its size.