Universities of Wisconsin (formerly UW System)

The Universities of Wisconsin (formerly called the UW System) comprise 13 four-year universities and their branch campuses.

Universities of Wisconsin is the preferred reference for the collective of the 13 four-year universities. The name takes the form of a plural for subject–verb agreement: The Universities of Wisconsin are …

Do not abbreviate the name to UWs or UW universities on second reference, an exception to the Universities of Wisconsin’s style guide for the UW–Madison campus. This is to avoid confusion with UW–Madison’s common abbreviation to the UW. Instead, spell out the Universities of Wisconsin on all references whenever possible. If necessary, UW system (lowercase) is acceptable to describe the collective of the 13 four-year universities.

Note that the entity’s legal name remains the University of Wisconsin System. This name is still used when referring to the UW System Board of Regents. It’s also used for official documents (such as diplomas), court filings, contracts, grants, and other formal correspondence and delegations of authority.