Most Affordable Private Colleges in Wisconsin
Private nonprofit colleges rarely cost what their price tags say. Among the 18 we rank in Wisconsin, the average net price runs from $15,193 to $36,201 a year, a range of $21,008.
The median net price is $23,323, within a few percent of the national median of $23,860 for private nonprofit colleges. Median tuition and fees are $37,430, but the median net price, which also counts room, board and books after grants, is $23,323, so aid more than covers the housing and living costs added on top of tuition.
Carroll University ranks first at $15,193, ahead of Mount Mary University ($20,144) and Ripon College ($20,216).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Private nonprofit 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree
- Ranked by net price, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in Wisconsin
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported net price value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Wisconsin has 18
- Data period
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25 (the same for in-state and out-of-state students).
- Net price by income: students with family income of $0 to $30,000, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 18 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Carroll University Waukesha, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $15,193 | $38,890 | $15,718 | 70% | $66,639 |
| 2 | Mount Mary University Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,144 | $35,420 | $18,155 | 50% | $54,418 |
| 3 | Ripon College Ripon, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $20,216 | $51,900 | $15,712 | 62% | $50,210 |
| 4 | Viterbo University La Crosse, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,260 | $34,250 | $13,657 | 67% | $69,675 |
| 5 | Beloit College Beloit, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,526 | $60,886 | $15,176 | 69% | $48,801 |
| 6 | Marian University (WI) Fond Du Lac, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,937 | $35,178 | $17,449 | 43% | $65,859 |
| 7 | Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,453 | $50,480 | $11,607 | 69% | $90,607 |
| 8 | Alverno College Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $22,540 | $34,086 | $22,032 | 50% | $67,760 |
| 9 | Wisconsin Lutheran College Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,245 | $36,110 | $18,190 | 63% | $57,728 |
| 10 | Lawrence University Appleton, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $23,401 | $56,982 | $10,419 | 77% | $51,503 |
| 11 | Lakeland University Plymouth, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $24,212 | $33,396 | $22,453 | 48% | $66,716 |
| 12 | Maranatha Baptist University Watertown, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,005 | $21,550 | $24,786 | 65% | $49,529 |
| 13 | Edgewood University Madison, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,113 | $35,860 | $22,291 | 64% | $68,625 |
| 14 | Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,172 | $45,580 | $19,721 | 72% | $58,944 |
| 15 | Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,541 | $43,743 | $21,419 | 65% | $42,304 |
| 16 | Carthage College Kenosha, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $26,565 | $38,750 | $23,293 | 62% | $59,751 |
| 17 | Marquette University Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $31,487 | $51,170 | $22,269 | 82% | $80,228 |
| 18 | Concordia University-Wisconsin Mequon, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,201 | $35,470 | $34,991 | 66% | $63,361 |
How to compare these colleges
Do not rule out a private college because of its sticker price. Private colleges often discount heavily, and the net price shown here is what students who receive aid pay on average, including housing and books. Your own offer depends on your family income and the school's aid policy, so run each college's net price calculator and compare actual award letters.
Guides worth reading first
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Same list in nearby states
Most affordable private colleges in Illinois
37 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Iowa
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Most affordable private colleges in Michigan
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All 36 colleges in Wisconsin See the national version of this ranking