2025-26 Statistics

Colleges in Wisconsin

At a Glance
Admission, Tuition, Population, and more
Updated: May 14, 2026
Wisconsin has 92 colleges and universities.
87 schools offer undergraduate programs and 43 schools offer graduate programs.
In Wisconsin, there are 2 ABA-accredited law schools and 2 LCME-accredited medical schools.
By school type, 35 public and 57 private colleges are active for the academic year 2024-2025 in Wisconsin.
By school level, there are 53 4-Years Colleges, 25 Community Colleges, and 14 Technical Colleges in Wisconsin.
4-Years CollegesCommunity CollegesTechnical Colleges
Total532514
Public18170
Private (not-for-profit)3310
Private (for-profit)2714

Average Tuition & Fees

For 4-year colleges, the average undergraduate tuition & fees are $9,161 for Wisconsin residents and $19,176 for out-of-state students.
For graduate programs, the average tuition & fees are $10,423 for Wisconsin residents and $20,308 for out-of-state students.

4-Year Colleges Tuition

Over the past 5 years, 4-year college tuition has increased 11.3% for in-state and 9.5% for out-of-state students at public schools.
At private schools, the tuition has increased 17.4%. See the detailed tuition history below.
Wisconsin Colleges Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
WI ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$8,232$17,509$28,038
2022$8,267$17,591$28,612
2023$8,414$17,895$29,128
2024$8,802$18,603$30,118
2025$9,161$19,176$32,904

Community Colleges Tuition

Over the past 5 years, community college tuition has increased 9.2% for in-state and 8.9% for out-of-state students at public schools.
Wisconsin Community Colleges Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
WI ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$4,495$6,552-
2022$4,539$6,615-
2023$4,605$6,731-
2024$4,675$6,801-
2025$4,907$7,133-

Graduate Schools Tuition

The graduate tuition has increased 7.2% for in-state and 2.7% for out-of-state students over the past 5 years
At private graduate schools, the tuition has increased 7.4%.
Wisconsin Graduate Schools Tuition & Fees
Public SchoolsPrivate Schools
WI ResidentsOut-of-State
2021$9,718$19,768$15,821
2022$9,780$19,861$15,821
2023$9,758$19,210$16,086
2024$10,040$19,786$16,584
2025$10,423$20,308$16,986

Living Costs

The average living costs at Wisconsin colleges are $14,764 when a student lives on-campus and $15,043 when living-off campus.
On-campus living costs have increased 20.9% and off-campus costs have increased 25.5% over the past 5 years.
Living Costs at Wisconsin Colleges
On-CampusOff-Campus
2021$12,214$11,982
2022$12,518$12,130
2023$13,074$12,617
2024$13,973$13,765
2025$14,764$15,043

Admission & SAT Scores

On average, 79.9% of applicants are admitted to Wisconsin colleges.
The admission rate ranges from 45.2% to 100.0% across colleges in Wisconsin.
The average SAT score at Wisconsin colleges is 1,213. SAT scores range from 1,030 to 1,460 across colleges in Wisconsin.

Financial Aid

On average, 59.58% students have received grants and/or scholarships at Wisconsin colleges. The average amount of aid received is $10,867

Enrollment

A total of 330,465 students is attending Wisconsin colleges - 287,775 undergraduate and 42,700 graduate students.
Of them, 52,118 students enrolled in online programs exclusively.
Total Number of Students
330,465
Undergraduate
287,775
Graduate
42,700
Online Students
52,118

Faculty & Staff

A total of 26,959 faculties (instructional staffs) are working for colleges in Wisconsin and the average faculty salary is $73,870.
There are 69,126 non-instructional staffs and its average salary is $66,593.
Number of Faculties
26,959
Average Faculty Salary
$73,870
Number of Staffs
69,126
Average Staff Salary
$66,593

Best Wisconsin colleges

University of Wisconsin-Madison is ranked #1 in the Wisconsin college rankings, followed by University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in second place.

Highest Tuition & Fees

Beloit College is the most expensive college in Wisconsin with a tuition & fees of $60,886 and Lawrence University has the second-highest tuition & fees of $56,982.

Highest Graduate Tuition

For graduate programs, Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology requires the most expensive tuition & fees of $35,650 and Medical College of Wisconsin has the second-highest graduate tuition & fees of $30,350.

Highest SAT Scores

University of Wisconsin-Madison has the highest SAT scores of 1,460 submitted by enrolled students and Lawrence University has the second-highest SAT score of 1,350.

Largest Wisconsin colleges

University of Wisconsin-Madison is the largest college with 51,044 students and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has the second-most students of 22,450.

Largest Online colleges

Herzing University-Madison has the most online students of 4,841 students and Milwaukee Area Technical College has the second-most online students of 3,499.