UW-Madison College of Letters & Science

Name

UW-Madison College of Letters & Science

Legal name

College of Letters & Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Website

https://ls.wisc.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1849

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Comprehensive Graduate & Professional Schools (EDAHAAAF)

Keywords

• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate degree programs
• Graduate research programs
• Higher education services
• Career advising services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: As a public university college, L&S receives tuition revenue from undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in its programs. Federal funding for higher education and research remains uncertain according to recent communications.
2. Research Grants and Sponsored Programs: Faculty conduct research supported by federal agencies including NSF, NIH, NOAA, NASA, and private foundations. The college facilitates research through the Office of Research Services with pre-award and post-award administration.
3. Philanthropic Giving: Alumni and friends support the college through donations to the Dean's Circle Giving Society and various fundraising initiatives. Major gifts like the $85.2 million Morgridge gift support facilities transformation.
4. Wisconsin Idea Outreach: Community engagement and outreach programs including the Wisconsin Exchange for civil dialogue, civics consortium, and partnerships with Wisconsin State Journal (Fueling Discovery) that extend the college's impact statewide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The College of Letters & Science is the largest college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, providing liberal arts and sciences education to more than 19,000 students across 65 undergraduate majors and numerous certificate combinations in humanities, natural/physical/mathematical sciences, social sciences, and computing/data/information sciences. The college delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs, hands-on research opportunities, career preparation through SuccessWorks, and community outreach programs under the Wisconsin Idea. It also supports world-class faculty research through institutes such as the Center for High Throughput Computing, CIMSS, and the Center for Humanistic Inquiry into AI and Uncertainty.

Product overview

The College of Letters & Science at UW-Madison is the largest college within the university, offering a comprehensive liberal arts and sciences education across four divisions: Arts & Humanities, Computer, Data & Information Sciences, Natural, Physical & Mathematical Sciences, and Social Sciences. The college provides 65 undergraduate majors and numerous certificates, supported by student services including SuccessWorks (career center), the L&S Honors Program, Undergraduate Research Scholars, and First-Year Interest Groups. Research is facilitated through numerous centers and institutes. The college serves approximately 19,000+ students and offers publications including Letters & Science Magazine and the Sift & Winnow e-newsletter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SuccessWorks

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• National Endowment for the HumanitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Funding support for the Center for Humanistic Inquiry into AI and Uncertainty, bringing together scholars from across disciplines to examine how AI is transforming culture, communication, creativity, and democratic life.
• Wisconsin ExchangecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2026Campus partnership dedicated to advancing civil dialogue by cultivating a community where diverse viewpoints are expected, debated, and respected. Forms foundation of broader democracy initiative.
• Wisconsin State JournalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Ongoing partnership producing 'Fueling Discovery' annual special insert celebrating research at L&S. Showcases groundbreaking work from faculty, staff, and students including AI ethics, Midwest folklore, and Alzheimer's research. Positions the college's impact within community media.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOAA partners through CIMSS (Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies) to conduct research using remote sensing systems for meteorological and surface-based applications.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA partners through CIMSS and other programs for space science research, atmospheric studies, and satellite research collaboration.
• Schools of Medicine, Agriculture, and EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-campus collaborations strengthen biological sciences partnerships with colleagues in medicine, agriculture, engineering, and beyond. The new Department of Biology will expand these interdisciplinary partnerships.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• College of Liberal Arts at University of Minnesota: Minnesota's largest college, the Big Ten counterpart to UW-Madison in many respects, serving a comparable scale of students across humanities, social sciences, and sciences at a major public research university.
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: UIUC's largest college offering humanities, sciences, and social sciences at a Big Ten public research university. Comparable in scale, research volume, and broad divisional coverage.
• University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: UF's largest college covering humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences at a top-tier public research university. Comparable in scale, public-research positioning, and interdisciplinary breadth.
• College of the Liberal Arts at Penn State: Penn State's largest academic college, encompassing humanities, social sciences, and sciences at a major public research university. Directly comparable in structure, scale, and Big Ten public-research positioning.
• College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University: Indiana University's largest college, offering broad arts and sciences curriculum at a major public research university. Comparable in scale, divisional organization, and Big Ten academic profile.
• UCLA College of Letters and Science: UCLA's largest college, sharing the exact same 'Letters and Science' designation and serving a comparable scale of students across humanities, sciences, social sciences, and computing. Directly comparable in scope, public research-university setting, and breadth of majors.
• College of Arts and Sciences at The Ohio State University: Ohio State's largest college, offering comprehensive arts and sciences education at a Big Ten public research university. Comparable in scale, divisional structure, and research-output positioning.
• College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at University of Michigan: Michigan's flagship liberal arts and sciences college, structurally near-identical to UW-Madison L&S: large public research university, broad divisional structure, extensive undergraduate research programs, and similar scale. One of the most direct functional peers in the Big Ten.
• College of Arts and Sciences at University of Washington: UW's largest college, encompassing the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences at a top public research university. Directly comparable in scale, public AAU research positioning, and interdisciplinary flexibility.

Regional players

• UW-Milwaukee College of Letters and Science: Same 'Letters and Science' designation within the University of Wisconsin System; operates in the same geography (Wisconsin) but serves a more regional, less research-intensive student body than UW-Madison L&S. Useful regional/structural peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/denisephickey
• Xx.com/uwmadisonls
• Facebookfacebook.com/UWMadisonLS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries37 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UW-Madison College of Letters & Science