Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Town campus · verified rankings · federal data

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Students comparing University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Whitewater, Wisconsin9,405 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 34Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater: U.S. News ranks it #34 on Regional Universities (Midwest) (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #648 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #213 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #795 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 9,405 undergraduates, admits 85.7% of applicants, and posts a 58.9% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $18,716; aid recipients pay $14,158 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $55,356.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
85.7%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$14,158

47% below the $26,806 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$55,356

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
58.9%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$23,188

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedUniversity of Wisconsin-Whitewater did not report an SAT score range for its most recent entering class.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where Wisconsin-Whitewater ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (Midwest)#34of 165Regional univ. (Midwest)
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#648of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#213of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)#795of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Wisconsin-Whitewater's position moves 22 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Wisconsin-Whitewater

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is a public institution in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Federal data show 78.0% first-year retention and a 20:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $14,158 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $26,806 sticker cost against $14,158 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$8,616

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$18,716

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$8,090

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $26,806 a year, but the average family pays $14,158 — a 47% difference. 25.2% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Wisconsin-Whitewater's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    20:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    78.0%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    9,405

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Wisconsin-Whitewater: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $18,716 and on-campus room and board is $8,090, for a published total of $26,806 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $14,158.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 85.7%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Illinois State University

    Normal, ILPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Illinois State University: U.S. News ranks it #222 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #260 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #164 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #147 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #653 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 19,057 undergraduates, admits 88.1% of applicants, and posts a 64.5% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $28,210; aid recipients pay $19,398 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $62,117.

    Acceptance rate
    88.1%
    Average net price
    $19,398
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $62,117
    6-yr graduation rate
    64.5%
    US News · National universities#222 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#260 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#164 of 1,504+3 more on profile

    19,057 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 34 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Iowa

    Iowa City, IAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Iowa: U.S. News ranks it #102 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #256 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #495 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #162 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #90 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #533 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 22,264 undergraduates, admits 83.6% of applicants, and posts a 74.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $33,371; aid recipients pay $22,531 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $64,762.

    Acceptance rate
    83.6%
    Average net price
    $22,531
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $64,762
    6-yr graduation rate
    74.6%
    US News · National universities#102 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#256 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#495 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    22,264 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 30 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Ball State University

    Muncie, INPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Ball State University: U.S. News ranks it #213 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #134 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #378 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #589 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars. It enrolls 13,988 undergraduates, admits 85.5% of applicants, and posts a 62.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $29,630; aid recipients pay $14,940 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $51,833.

    Acceptance rate
    85.5%
    Average net price
    $14,940
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $51,833
    6-yr graduation rate
    62.3%
    US News · National universities#213 of 436Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#134 of 1,504WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#378 of 500+2 more on profile

    13,988 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 39 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare Wisconsin-Whitewater against these