In achievement and prestige, the University of Wisconsin–Madison has long been recognized as one of America's great universities. A public, land-grant institution, UW–Madison offers a complete spectrum of liberal arts studies, professional programs and student activities. Spanning 933 acres along the southern shore of Lake Mendota, the campus is located in the city of Madison.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is Wisconsin's comprehensive teaching and research university with a statewide, national, and international mission, offering programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels in a wide range of fields, while engaging in extensive scholarly research, continuing adult education, and public service. The primary purpose of the University of Wisconsin-Madison is to provide a learning environment in which faculty, staff, and students can discover, examine critically, preserve, and transmit the knowledge, wisdom, and values that will help ensure the survival of this and future generations and improve the quality of life for all. The University seeks to help students to develop an understanding and appreciation for the complex cultural and physical worlds in which they live and to realize their highest potential of intellectual, physical, and human development. It also seeks to attract and serve students from diverse social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds and to be sensitive and responsive to those groups which have been underserved by higher education.

Located in Madison, the campus spreads out along Lake Mendota, encompassing wooded hills, friendly shores and lively city streets.

Madison—the state’s capital city with a population of 208,000—offers the perfect combination of natural beauty, stimulating cultural offerings, outdoor recreation, distinctive restaurants, unique shops and vibrant nightlife.