Wisconsin’s 5 Hardest Colleges And Universities To Get Into

With the extensive University of Wisconsin system and schools like Marquette and Lawrence University all in the state, there are a lot of options for people looking to further their education in the Badger State.

In a ranking from CollegeSimply, I was surprised to see what a couple of the hardest schools in Wisconsin are to get into. Here's a look at the top 5 across the ranks of both public and private colleges and universities in the state.

5 Wisconsin Colleges & Universities That Are The Hardest To Get Into

#5 Northland College - Ashland, WI

This small Northern Wisconsin college with an enrollment of around 500 undergraduate students also happens to be ranked the third-best liberal arts college by Niche.

Of the criteria CollegeSimply rates colleges on, the best-scoring category for Northland College is in resources, scoring 8 out of 10. Their second-highest category in CollegeSimply's ratings is in academics, scoring 7 out of 10.

READ MORE: These are the toughest schools to get into across the border in Minnesota

CollegeSimply reports their acceptance rate is 68%, which makes them the 5th most difficult college to get into in the state.

#4 Beloit College - Beloit, WI

Near the southern border of Wisconsin is Beloit College, which CollegeSimply is among the top 40% of 4-year colleges in the country.

In CollegeSimply's scores for Beloit College, they say it is an incredible value, giving it a 10 out of 10 score in the category. Pairing with the value is their academics, scoring 9 out of 10 on their scoring scale.

With such highly-rated academics and great value, it is still a bit of a challenge to earn acceptance into the school when compared to others in Wisconsin. They have an acceptance rate of 66%, making them the 4th toughest to get into in the state.

#3 Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design - Milwaukee, WI

This private college that's been around since the 1970s is located in Wisconsin's largest city. With an average enrollment of around 900 students, it's still a fairly small school in a big city setting.

Unlike the other schools on this list, CollegeSimply doesn't have any categoric scoring about elements of the school. Niche, on the other hand, gives grades on schools in various categories. The school's highest marks come in Diversity (B+) and Academics (B-) as well as the overall campus (B-).

CollegeSimply reports their acceptance rate is 64%, making it the third-toughest school to get into in Wisconsin.

#2 Milwaukee School of Engineering - Milwaukee, WI

Another Milwaukee school (surprisingly not Marquette) toward the top of this list.

With a reported enrollment of around 2,700 students, Milwaukee School of Engineering earns high marks in CollegeSimply's scoring of elements of the school. The top categories include value and academics, where the school earned a 9 out of 10 in both areas.

Milwaukee School of Engineering has a reported acceptance rate of 63%, making it the second-toughest school to get into in Wisconsin.

#1 University of Wisconsin Madison - Madison, WI

Topping the list of toughest schools to get into in Wisconsin is the home of the Wisconsin Badgers, UW Madison.

CollegeSimply gives very high marks to Madison in several categories, giving the school a 10 out of 10 in academics and a 9 out of 10 in value and outcomes.

Getting into Wisconsin's biggest school isn't easy, however, when compared to the rest in the state. UW Madison has a reported acceptance rate of 49%, which is a whole 14 percentage points lower than the next-lowest school.