In 2026, nearly 1,700 new Badger engineering undergrads arrive, eager to make an impact

On Sept. 1, 2026, the College of Engineering welcomed nearly 1,700 new engineering students.

The class of 2030—the largest incoming class in college history—arrived in Madison with more than just dorm decor and four seasons’ worth of clothing.

Each student arrived with hopes for the future. Dreams, ideas, ambitions, possibilities.

Collectively, these 1,700 new students represent an extraordinary concentration of creativity, determination and potential gathered in one place.

That’s 1,700 different ideas about what the future could be … 1,700 different pathways to get there … and Just. So. Much. Possibility!

These new students share a sense of curiosity, a desire to solve problems—and, importantly, a drive to use engineering to make a difference in the world.

Their enthusiasm was on display Sept. 1 at the College of Engineering’s new student welcome, an epic gathering of incoming students officially joining the Badger engineering community. Standing in line to scoop up branded engineering swag, they already started to meet people. Later, they spent more time building connections with fellow engineers, regardless of major, and came together for a massive class photo on the plaza outside Union South—the only space adjacent to the engineering campus that could hold 1,700 engineers.

In his welcome video, Grainger Dean of the College of Engineering Devesh Ranjan encouraged students to embrace the opportunities ahead. Reflecting on his own arrival at UW-Madison more than two decades ago as a new engineering student, he noted that he could not have predicted where that journey would eventually take him. “It opened doors I never expected,” he said.

Today, he sees similar potential in the students beginning journeys of their own. “You are arriving at UW-Madison at a time when the world needs engineers more than ever,” Ranjan said. “The challenges are significant. The opportunities are extraordinary. Our future will be shaped by you.”

Students in the class of 2030 begin their education at a time of tremendous momentum for both the field of engineering and the College of Engineering. Artificial intelligence is transforming industries. New discoveries are reshaping our global energy landscape, delivering on the promise of personalized healthcare, and transforming manufacturing and countless other fields. Every day brings new opportunities to imagine, create and innovate. And the college’s new 400,000-square-foot building, the Phillip A. Levy Engineering Center, is rapidly rising in the center of the engineering campus.

The new undergraduates’ arrival brings the college’s total undergraduate enrollment to its largest ever—nearly 5,800 students. Together, it’s a huge community of engineers learning how to turn ideas into action, creativity into innovation and curiosity into impact.

In other words, they’re the future of our planet. And that’s consequential: Communities around the world need engineers who can think differently, work collaboratively and tackle increasingly complex challenges.

Each new Badger engineer brings fresh ways of seeing opportunities—and when nearly 1,700 new engineering students converge on an already thriving college, the possibilities multiply. “Over the next few years, you will challenge yourself and discover new passions,” said Ranjan. “You will accomplish things that seem impossible today. And you will begin to realize something very important: The future is not something that happens to you—it’s something you get to help create.”

This year’s class of new Badger engineers includes:

• 30 transfer students
• Approximately 150 international students
• Nearly 200 first-generation students
• More than 680 students from Wisconsin
• Students from 45 of 50 states, along with Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Armed Forces
• Students from 37 countries, including the United States