University of Wisconsin--Madison is a public institution that was founded in 1848. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 30,863, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 936 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. University of Wisconsin--Madison's ranking in the 2014 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 41.

The University of Wisconsin—Madison lies along the southern shore of Lake Mendota in the city of Madison. The Wisconsin Badgers compete in 25 NCAA Division I sports and are part of the Big Ten Conference. Students can get involved in more than 800 student organizations on campus.