Madison Launches New Computing College

Computer science students and applicants at UW-Madison now have a dedicated college as the university reports record degree totals.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Higher Education

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The University of Wisconsin-Madison awarded 14,162 degrees to 14,092 recipients in the last academic year, the most in its recent history as reported. The university announced the totals on Wednesday, alongside the launch of a new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence this summer.

Why it matters

Computer science is now the top major at UW-Madison, and the new college was created in response to growing campus interest in the field. For students in Madison weighing a degree in computing, the reorganization signals a larger, more formally structured academic home for those programs.

UW-Madison awarded 14,162 degrees to 14,092 recipients, including 878 research doctorates and 3,034 master's degrees. Computer science led all bachelor's majors with 1,084 graduates across summer and fall 2025 and spring 2026, ahead of economics with 721 and data science with 685.

The players

University of Wisconsin-Madison

A large public research university in Madison, Wisconsin, whose in-state tuition and aid profile is shaped by its status as a flagship state institution.

The details

The university tallied its degree conferrals and reported the totals on Wednesday. The computer science programs were moved out of the former School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences, which launched in 2019, and into the newly created College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence. That college is UW-Madison's first new academic division in more than 40 years.

2019: The School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences launched.
2024-25 academic year: Students earned the most bachelor's degrees in computer science, economics, psychology, data science and biology, in that order.
Summer 2026: The College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence launched.

Education Landscape

The reorganization follows the 2019 launch of the School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences, which set the stage for computing programs to grow into a standalone division. It marks UW-Madison's first new academic division in more than 40 years, a notable structural change for a university of its size.

Students considering a computer science major in Madison now have a dedicated College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence to look into when weighing programs. Applicants and current students can ask the university's admissions or academic advising office how the reorganization affects course access, advising, and degree requirements.

The takeaway

The record degree totals and the new college point to computing as the anchor of UW-Madison's academic growth. Prospective students interested in computer science should ask the admissions office how the new college will shape their advising and course options.