Cheapest Colleges in Wisconsin
Sticker prices at the 31 four-year colleges we rank in Wisconsin run from $8,270 to $60,886 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $52,616 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 13 public colleges here charge a median of $9,008 a year, $932 (9%) below the national public median of $9,940. The 18 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $37,430, under the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
University of Wisconsin-Parkside ranks first at $8,270, ahead of University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh ($8,532) and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater ($8,616).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, 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 in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; Wisconsin has 31
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, 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.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- 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-Parkside Kenosha, WI Public · 4-year | $8,270 | $17,429 | $11,772 | 40% | 2,844 |
| 2 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI Public · 4-year | $8,532 | $16,446 | $14,305 | 51% | 6,877 |
| 3 | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI Public · 4-year | $8,616 | $18,716 | $14,158 | 62% | 9,405 |
| 4 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville, WI Public · 4-year | $8,644 | $17,603 | $16,032 | 58% | 5,837 |
| 5 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay, WI Public · 4-year | $8,700 | $17,288 | $13,369 | 50% | 6,341 |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin-Superior Superior, WI Public · 4-year | $8,812 | $16,726 | $12,220 | 43% | 1,807 |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls River Falls, WI Public · 4-year | $9,008 | $17,470 | $14,054 | 59% | 4,205 |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI Public · 4-year | $9,488 | $18,508 | $14,559 | 53% | 7,306 |
| 9 | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI Public · 4-year | $9,642 | $19,228 | $16,550 | 66% | 8,895 |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI Public · 4-year | $10,070 | $19,517 | $16,210 | 71% | 9,277 |
| 11 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI Public · 4-year | $10,398 | $22,398 | $15,014 | 50% | 16,758 |
| 12 | University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI Public · 4-year | $10,701 | $19,265 | $17,490 | 54% | 5,842 |
| 13 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI Public · 4-year | $11,603 | $42,103 | $17,354 | 89% | 36,902 |
| 14 | Maranatha Baptist University Watertown, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $21,550 | — | $26,005 | 65% | 541 |
| 15 | Lakeland University Plymouth, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $33,396 | — | $24,212 | 48% | 1,212 |
| 16 | Alverno College Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,086 | — | $22,540 | 50% | 631 |
| 17 | Viterbo University La Crosse, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $34,250 | — | $21,260 | 67% | 1,249 |
| 18 | Marian University (WI) Fond Du Lac, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,178 | — | $21,937 | 43% | 1,010 |
| 19 | Mount Mary University Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,420 | — | $20,144 | 50% | 631 |
| 20 | Concordia University-Wisconsin Mequon, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,470 | — | $36,201 | 66% | 2,197 |
| 21 | Edgewood University Madison, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $35,860 | — | $26,113 | 64% | 1,107 |
| 22 | Wisconsin Lutheran College Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,110 | — | $23,245 | 63% | 943 |
| 23 | Carthage College Kenosha, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,750 | — | $26,565 | 62% | 2,660 |
| 24 | Carroll University Waukesha, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,890 | — | $15,193 | 70% | 2,523 |
| 25 | Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $43,743 | — | $26,541 | 65% | 837 |
| 26 | Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $45,580 | — | $26,172 | 72% | 1,662 |
| 27 | Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $50,480 | — | $22,453 | 69% | 2,654 |
| 28 | Marquette University Milwaukee, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $51,170 | — | $31,487 | 82% | 7,660 |
| 29 | Ripon College Ripon, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $51,900 | — | $20,216 | 62% | 688 |
| 30 | Lawrence University Appleton, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $56,982 | — | $23,401 | 77% | 1,396 |
| 31 | Beloit College Beloit, WI Private nonprofit · 4-year | $60,886 | — | $21,526 | 69% | 926 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of Wisconsin, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for Wisconsin
Best value colleges in Wisconsin
31 schools
Highest graduate earnings in Wisconsin
31 schools
Most affordable private colleges in Wisconsin
18 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in Illinois
50 schools
Cheapest colleges in Michigan
38 schools
Cheapest colleges in Minnesota
34 schools
All 36 colleges in Wisconsin See the national version of this ranking