The University of Wisconsin–Madison enrolled 50,965 students this fall, a 1.6% decline from 2025 and a drop from its peak of 52,097 students in 2024, according to the university’s 10th-day-of-classes census. The total remains the university’s second-highest undergraduate enrollment on record, spokesperson Greg Bump said. Undergraduate enrollment stood at 37,133, while the number of graduate students fell to 9,101 — the lowest level in at least a decade. UW–Madison welcomed 8,587 first-year students, a slight increase from last year, and 1,194 transfer students, fewer than in 2025. The incoming class included 3,920 Wisconsin residents. The university received 75,234 applications from prospective first-year students. Enrollment affects the university’s finances as well as its campus community: tuition accounts for about one-fifth of UW–Madison’s nearly $5 billion budget. This year, the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved a 2% tuition increase for resident undergraduates at UW–Madison and a 4% increase for nonresident undergraduates. Graduate tuition was held steady. International enrollment declined to 6,785 students from 7,446 last fall, with decreases among both undergraduates and graduate students. The number of international students who enrolled as first-years rose to 676 after falling last year, even as fewer international students applied. Bump said UW–Madison and peer institutions are seeing similar declines amid uncertainty and changes in federal policies governing international students. Visa delays and immigration policy changes have added to that uncertainty. Last year, 27 UW–Madison international students and alumni had their federal student records abruptly changed; the records were later restored. Graduate admissions have also been shaped by uncertainty over research funding. Federal funding cuts, changes and delays have put research dollars at universities in jeopardy, and UW–Madison admitted fewer graduate students last year. Interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots has said the pace of federal research funding is slower and that the relationship between the federal government and higher education remains a concern. The fall figures also show declines in several measures of student diversity. The number of first-year students of color who enrolled fell to 2,392 from 2,533 last year, despite the university admitting more students of color. First-year students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups — including Black, Hispanic and Southeast Asian students, but excluding international students — declined to 1,322 from 1,505. First-generation students, defined as students whose parents did not earn a four-year degree, also decreased to 1,322 among incoming freshmen after rising last year. The changes come after a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling barred race-conscious admissions. One route into the university expanded: 1,129 students enrolled through the Wisconsin Guarantee, a 6% increase from last year. The program automatically admits eligible Wisconsin high school students who rank in the top 5% of their class if they apply by an early deadline. A total of 1,841 applicants were admitted through the program this fall.