Were you recently waitlisted to the University of Wisconsin – Madison? Maybe you’re now crossing your fingers and sweating anxious bullets. Well, take a deep breath. Being waitlisted can be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be scary. We’re here to demystify some of the uncertainty behind the waitlist — and help you navigate the waitlist waters with finesse.

First, let’s take a look at UW – Madison’s waitlist acceptance rate from the most recent admissions cycles. Until the admissions cycle for the Class of 2025, UW – Madison did not publish any data about waitlisted applicants. It appears you were either told “yes” or “no,” that was it. But, for the past four years, UW – Madison has caught up with other elite universities and started waitlisting applicants. The numbers in the table below are pulled directly from UW – Madison’s self-reporting to The Common Data Set. 

UW – Madison Waitlist Acceptance Rates and Statistics

University of Wisconsin – Madison Class Year	Number of Students Waitlisted to University of Wisconsin – Madison	Number of Students Who Chose to Join University of Wisconsin – Madison Waitlist	Number of Students Accepted Off University of Wisconsin – Madison Waitlist	University of Wisconsin – Madison Waitlist Acceptance Rate
UW – Madison Class of 2029	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
UW – Madison Class of 2028	13,364	7,221	4,436	61.40%
UW – Madison Class of 2027	Not Reported	Not Reported	Not Reported	Not Reported
UW – Madison Class of 2026	8128	4335	14	0.30%
UW – Madison Class of 2025	8,913	5,085	2,861	56.30%

Your Chances of Admission to UW-Madison After Being Waitlisted

Let’s break down those numbers. UW – Madison’s waitlist acceptance rate over the past four years averages out to 39.3%. As far as waitlist acceptance rates go, this is pretty high! So, if you’d lost your hope, these numbers ought to bring some of it back. 

But hope alone isn’t going to do much for you. You need to approach UW – Madison adeptly if you want to make it off their waitlist and onto their campus. So many prospective clients here at Ivy Coach go about this process all wrong. Luckily, we’re there to steer them in the right direction! Here’s how we do it:

Your Chances of Admission to University of Wisconsin – Madison After Being Waitlisted with Ivy Coach’s Help

Over the past 30 years, Ivy Coach has gotten to know a thing or two about the waitlist process. To be precise: around 40% of students who have come to Ivy Coach for help after being placed on the waitlist at an elite university have received admission. That’s compared to only around a 10% acceptance rate for the average waitlisted applicant. 

How do we do it? Our team of former elite admissions officers has developed a tried and true method for getting students off a university’s waitlist and onto its campus with the power of a singular hook. Here at Ivy Coach, we like to call that method the two-step: 

1. Complete Ivy Coach’s PostMortem application review. We need to see what a student got right and what they got wrong in their UW – Madison application. The narrative we help craft can’t feel like it’s come from out of the blue. Instead, it needs to be consistent with the story conveyed in the UW – Madison application — just told much more persuasively and compellingly this time!
2. Submit a compelling Letter of Continued Interest. You probably already know you’re well-advised to submit the letter if you want to get off UW – Madison’s waitlist. But do you know what to put in that letter? (Hint: it’s not brags and updates.) Ivy Coach helps students craft letters that convince admissions officers at UW – Madison to go to bat for our students!

Getting Started with Ivy Coach on UW – Madison Waitlist

If you’re interested in optimizing your chance of admission off of UW – Madison’s waitlist to the Class of 2029, complete Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form and indicate that UW – Madison has waitlisted you. We will then be in touch about our waitlist services. We understand the importance of springing into action quickly, so delay is not an option.