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University of Wisconsin-Madison vs Columbia University in the City of New York

Madison, WI · New York, NY · largest Scorecard gap: acceptance rate

Scorecard match plate

Pair WI:NY

MIXED-SECTOR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-GAP · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-PAR · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-ACCEPT

  • MIXED-SECTOR Mixed sector
  • CROSS-STATE WI × NY
  • ACCEPT-GAP Admission gap
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-PAR Debt near-par
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-ACCEPT Largest gap · Acceptance Rate

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the ENROLL-RACE · single · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Both enrollments grew, different paces

ENROLL-RACE · single · 2013–2023

Undergraduate headcount rose at both University of Wisconsin-Madison and Columbia University in the City of New York across 2013–2023 on similar paces, while acceptance rates tightened on both sides, a growth-under-squeeze pattern rather than a pure size race.

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison: enrollment grew +20.9% over 2013–2023; fitted +651 students/yr fitted, r² 0.85.
  • Columbia University in the City of New York: enrollment grew +11.7% over 2013–2023; fitted +92 students/yr fitted, r² 0.74.
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison: acceptance rate tightened -36.2% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.42).
  • Columbia University in the City of New York: acceptance rate tightened -43.0% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.79).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: University of Wisconsin-Madison vs Columbia University in the City of New York

  1. ACCEPTANCE-RATE Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate (4.0% vs 45.2% at University of Wisconsin-Madison)
  2. IN-STATE-TUITION University of Wisconsin-Madison leads on in-state tuition ($11,603 vs $71,845 at Columbia University in the City of New York)
  3. OUT-OF-STATE-TUITI University of Wisconsin-Madison leads on out-of-state tuition ($42,103 vs $71,845 at Columbia University in the City of New York)

University of Wisconsin-Madison profile · Columbia University in the City of New York profile · Compare other colleges

Acceptance Rate and other Scorecard questions

On acceptance rate, who leads between University of Wisconsin-Madison and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
Columbia University in the City of New York leads on acceptance rate at 4.0% versus 45.2% at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On in-state tuition, who leads between University of Wisconsin-Madison and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
University of Wisconsin-Madison leads on in-state tuition at $11,603 versus $71,845 at Columbia University in the City of New York. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On out-of-state tuition, who leads between University of Wisconsin-Madison and Columbia University in the City of New York?▼
University of Wisconsin-Madison leads on out-of-state tuition at $42,103 versus $71,845 at Columbia University in the City of New York. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); acceptance rate focus for this pair · 2025