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International Alumni

When education transcends borders, it opens minds, enabling people to go beyond building connections to solving world problems together. Diversity in our classrooms, our communities, and our workplaces is key to the strength of the UW and its alumni.

A History of Global Scholarship

International students have been attending the University of Wisconsin since its inception. William Stewart of Canada was the first international student at UW­–Madison. He was among the 20 students who attended the university’s first classes on February 5, 1849.

Having a diverse student population on campus provides invaluable experiences beyond the classroom. It fosters our students’ development as global citizens and prepares them to live in an interconnected world.

A World of Badgers

Thanks to our international network of alumni chapters and groups, we’ve always known the Badger community is expansive — but seeing a visual representation of it is truly impressive! This map represents alumni populations by country, based on students who have graduated from UW–Madison since 2000 and required a visa at time of admission.

Click on the pins below to see how many UW alumni are from each country.

Badgers by the Numbers

CountryNumber of Alumni
Afghanistan1
Albania6
Anguilla4
Argentina59
Armenia4
Australia53
Austria5
Azerbaijan11
Bahrain1
Bangladesh26
Barbados1
Belarus13
Belgium14
Belize1
Bolivia5
Bosnia & Herzegovina1
Botswana2
Brazil120
Bulgaria23
Burkina Faso9
Cambodia1
Cameroon3
Canada342
Chile119
China6762
Columbia95
Congo, The Democratic Republic of2
Costa Rica14
Croatia15
Cuba2
Cyprus38
Czech Republic10
Denmark5
Dominica1
Dominican Republic4
Ecuador17
Egypt52
El Salvador5
Eritrea3
Ethiopia4
Finland10
Macedonia3
France68
Gabon1
Gambia3
Georgia2
Germany178
Ghana10
Greece42
Guatemala6
Guernsey1
Honduras5
Hong Kong485
Hungary9
Iceland17
India2067
Indonesia721
Iran98
Iraq4
Ireland12
Israel35
Italy70
Jamaica9
Japan465
Jordan18
Kazakhstan22
Kenya19
Korea2668
Kosovo1
Kuwait24
Kyrgyzstan3
Lebanon34
Liberia3
Libya3
Lithuania5
Luxembourg2
Macau15
Madagascar1
Malaysia766
Mali2
Mauritania1
Mauritius2
Mexico122
Moldova, Republic of2
Mongolia9
Morocco9
Mozambique1
Myanmar4
Nambia1
Nepal23
Netherlands18
New Zealand16
Nicaragua2
Nigeria44
Norway22
Oman4
Pakistan105
Panama7
Paraguay2
Peru39
Philippines14
Poland21
Portugal29
Romania28
Russia81
Saints Kitts and Nevis1
Saint Lucia3
Saudi Arabia65
Senegal5
Serbia12
Singapore252
Slovakia3
Slovenia2
South Africa24
Spain64
Sri Lanka18
Suriname1
Swaziland1
Sweden18
Switzerland13
Syria3
Taiwan867
Tanzania3
Thailand542
Trinidad & Tobego17
Tunisia1
Turkey256
Uganda5
Ukraine11
United Arab Emirates25
United Kingdom144
Uruguay16
Uzbekistan2
Venezuela16
Vietnam106
Yemen2
Zimbabwe7

Do you know any UW–Madison graduates who deserve to be honored — maybe even you? Nominations for the 2025 Alumni Awards will be accepted through January 5, 2025. Nominate a Badger today.