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Sixty-three percent of all students receive financial aid in a combination of loans, work-study and grants. The gap between available funds and the number of qualified students applying for them is estimated at $15 million – and growing.

Facts at a glance

A great university trains the scholars, teachers and scientists of the future.

• The University of Wisconsin-Madison is tied for 13th among the top public universities in the United States and among the top 20 institutions in the world by the internationally respected Shanghai Jiao Tong rankings. Kiplinger's Personal Finance ranks the UW-Madison as the ninth best value among public universities. It consistently comes in as one of the top three university recipients of federal research funding. The UW-Madison also is one of the nation's highest producers of CEOs of major corporations. These and other points of pride are critical to recruiting the best students and top faculty. The UW-Madison brand and degree are valuable resources.
• The price of a UW-Madison education for the 2011-12 for resident undergraduates, including tuition, fees, books, room and board, is just over $22,000, in the bottom half of the Big Ten. The cost for non-resident undergraduates is just under $38,000. These do not include tuition differential for business and engineering students.
• About 63 percent of all undergraduates receive financial aid. The UW-Madison is last in the Big Ten in providing financial aid. Nearly half of all undergraduates graduate with debt. The average debt at graduation is more than $22,000.
• The Great People Scholarship Campaign will help keep the University accessible to students who have the intellectual ability, curiosity and tenacity to achieve their educational goals. Great People scholarships are need-based grants included as part of the total financial aid package to students who have been accepted to the University.
• The UW Foundation matches gifts to the Great People Scholarship Campaign up to a total of $20 million as long as funds are available. Named endowments can be established by individuals or groups who give a total of $25,000 over three years for a 100 percent match. Gifts to a specific school or college will be matched at 50 percent.
• In the 2010-11 academic year, the first 69 Great People Scholarship grants were awarded. Forty-five of these students were first-generation college students and 40 were Wisconsin residents.
• In the 2011-12 academic year, more than 500 Great People Scholars are studying on the UW-Madison campus. Sixty-eight percent are Wisconsin residents and remaining 32 percent are non-Wisconsin residents. This is a six-fold increase in Scholars receiving grants.
• Donor gifts and pledges total nearly $14 million since the Great People Scholarship Campaign was introduced in 2008. With the UW Foundation match, the campaign total is more than $27 million.
• Donors to the Great People Scholarship help to ensure that tomorrow’s leaders can attend the university today. Make a gift and make a real difference.