Best Value Colleges in Wisconsin
We estimate how many years the earnings premium over a typical Wisconsin high school graduate would take to repay four years of net price. Across the 31 public and private nonprofit colleges that qualify, the estimate runs from 1.7 years at the fastest to 22.4 years at the slowest.
The median college needs 3.2 years to repay its net price, in line with the national median of 3.2 years. Public colleges (13) have a median payback of 2.7 years against 4.7 years for the 18 private nonprofit colleges, so public options tend to repay faster here.
University of Wisconsin-Madison and Milwaukee School of Engineering share first place at 1.7 years, with University of Wisconsin-Platteville next at 1.9 years. Payback is an estimate, not a forecast: it assumes four years of net price and the earnings of past graduates, and it says nothing about your own major or career.
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Public and private nonprofit 4-year colleges
- Ranked by payback, 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)
- Graduation rate of 40% or higher
- A reported payback value (schools without one are not ranked)
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Wisconsin has 31
- Data period
- Payback: years for the earnings premium over a high school graduate in the same state to repay four years of net price (shown only when the premium is at least $2,000).
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Earnings: median earnings four years after completing, measured in 2022 and 2023 for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 cohorts, in 2024 dollars.
- Graduate debt: median federal loan debt of completers, pooled 2020 and 2021 cohorts.
- 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.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing all 31 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI Public · 4-year | 1.7 years | $17,354 | $78,974 | $20,484 | 89% |
| 2 | Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 1.7 years | $22,453 | $90,607 | $27,000 | 69% |
| 3 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville, WI Public · 4-year | 1.9 years | $16,032 | $70,899 | $21,977 | 58% |
| 4 | Carroll University Waukesha, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.1 years | $15,193 | $66,639 | $27,000 | 70% |
| 5 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI Public · 4-year | 2.4 years | $15,014 | $62,480 | $23,000 | 50% |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI Public · 4-year | 2.6 years | $14,305 | $59,730 | $21,500 | 51% |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI Public · 4-year | 2.6 years | $17,490 | $64,234 | $23,000 | 54% |
| 8 | Viterbo University La Crosse, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 2.6 years | $21,260 | $69,675 | $25,000 | 67% |
| 9 | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI Public · 4-year | 2.7 years | $14,158 | $58,704 | $23,188 | 62% |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin-Parkside Kenosha, WI Public · 4-year | 2.7 years | $11,772 | $55,184 | $20,492 | 40% |
| 11 | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI Public · 4-year | 2.8 years | $16,550 | $60,838 | $20,909 | 66% |
| 12 | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI Public · 4-year | 2.9 years | $16,210 | $60,184 | $22,500 | 71% |
| 13 | Marquette University Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.0 years | $31,487 | $80,228 | $23,940 | 82% |
| 14 | Alverno College Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.0 years | $22,540 | $67,760 | $27,000 | 50% |
| 15 | Marian University (WI) Fond Du Lac, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.1 years | $21,937 | $65,859 | $25,000 | 43% |
| 16 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay, WI Public · 4-year | 3.2 years | $13,369 | $54,344 | $18,500 | 50% |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls River Falls, WI Public · 4-year | 3.2 years | $14,054 | $54,923 | $20,500 | 59% |
| 18 | Lakeland University Plymouth, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.3 years | $24,212 | $66,716 | $25,000 | 48% |
| 19 | Edgewood University Madison, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 3.4 years | $26,113 | $68,625 | $24,424 | 64% |
| 20 | University of Wisconsin-Superior Superior, WI Public · 4-year | 3.9 years | $12,220 | $50,018 | $22,500 | 43% |
| 21 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI Public · 4-year | 4.2 years | $14,559 | $51,548 | $21,503 | 53% |
| 22 | Wisconsin Lutheran College Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.6 years | $23,245 | $57,728 | $26,000 | 63% |
| 23 | Carthage College Kenosha, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.8 years | $26,565 | $59,751 | $26,000 | 62% |
| 24 | Mount Mary University Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.8 years | $20,144 | $54,418 | $25,288 | 50% |
| 25 | Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 4.9 years | $26,172 | $58,944 | $26,731 | 72% |
| 26 | Concordia University-Wisconsin Mequon, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 5.6 years | $36,201 | $63,361 | $25,750 | 66% |
| 27 | Ripon College Ripon, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 6.4 years | $20,216 | $50,210 | $27,000 | 62% |
| 28 | Lawrence University Appleton, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 6.7 years | $23,401 | $51,503 | $26,000 | 77% |
| 29 | Beloit College Beloit, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 7.7 years | $21,526 | $48,801 | $25,738 | 69% |
| 30 | Maranatha Baptist University Watertown, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 8.7 years | $26,005 | $49,529 | $14,143 | 65% |
| 31 | Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | 22.4 years | $26,541 | $42,304 | $27,000 | 65% |
How to compare these colleges
Treat the payback column as a way to compare schools, not as a promise about your own future. It uses the average net price, so your own cost may be higher or lower, and it uses median earnings of former students, which depend heavily on major. Check earnings for your intended program on each college profile, and favor schools where the graduation rate is high.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Wisconsin
Cheapest colleges in Wisconsin
31 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Wisconsin
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Most affordable private colleges in Wisconsin
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Same list in nearby states
Best value colleges in Illinois
44 schools
Best value colleges in Michigan
37 schools
Best value colleges in Minnesota
33 schools
All 36 colleges in Wisconsin See the national version of this ranking