The University of Wisconsin-Madison, established in 1849, is recognized as one of the leading institutions of higher education in this country. All of the various schools and colleges ­ Agricultural and Life Sciences, Business, Education, Engineering, School of Human Ecology, Graduate, Law, Letters and Science, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine ­ are contiguous on one campus along the shore of Lake Mendota. The 900-acre campus is one of the largest and most beautiful in the country. 

A world-class center of research and learning, U.W.-Madison has ranked among the top five U.S. universities for funded research for many years. Many UW departments and programs are ranked in the top few in the country. The campus also is home to many internationally recognized research centers, including the Biotechnology Center, the Institute for Molecular Virology, the Food Research Institute, the Integrated Microscopy Resource Center, the Institute for Environmental Studies, the Primate Research Center, the Waisman Center, the National Magnetic Resonance Facility, the Physical Science Laboratory, the Synchrotron Radiation Center, the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, and the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center. Excellent libraries are available within the various schools and colleges. The faculty, recognized as leaders in their fields, serve on study sections and editorial boards and have been the recipients of the most prestigious national and international awards including the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Medal of Science. 

The diversity of the student body adds to the richness of the educational experience. Madison's 40,000 students are drawn from every state in the country, and the university has one of the largest international student populations of any university in the U.S. Approximately 11,500 students of the total enrollment are graduate students or in professional schools. 

The Madison campus offers students innumerable opportunities to participate in artistic, cultural, political, recreational, service, and social clubs and organizations. Students have access to several state-of-the-art athletic facilities, an extensive intramural sports program, the exhibits of the Elvehjem Museum of Art, the University Arboretum, and the programs of the Memorial Union Theatre and Music Hall. The UW Hoofers Club offers instruction in skiing and snowboarding, sailing, horseback riding, mountaineering, scuba and gliding.