State Rankings

Best Colleges in Wisconsin

Top colleges in Wisconsin ranked by national standing and graduate outcomes, updated 2026.

Colleges listed: 50

Avg grad earnings: $51,857

Public / Private: 30 / 20

Top Colleges in Wisconsin

Nationally ranked schools appear first. Remaining schools are ordered by median graduate earnings.

State #	School	Type	Grad Earnings	Admit Rate	SAT Avg	Grad Rate	Out-of-State
1	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison#39 national	Public	$73,792	43.4%	1,402	89.3%	$40,603
2	Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee#133 national	Private	$89,070	60.4%	N/A	71.5%	$48,421
3	Lawrence University Appleton#233 national	Private	$55,789	63.0%	1,349	76.4%	$55,461
4	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse#256 national	Public	$60,378	73.3%	1,190	71.2%	$18,691
5	Marquette University Milwaukee#318 national	Private	$78,257	87.4%	1,306	80.1%	$48,700
6	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire#360 national	Public	$58,561	76.1%	1,190	67.6%	$18,516
7	Carroll University Waukesha#374 national	Private	$58,009	58.4%	1,209	69.6%	$37,230
8	University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville#471 national	Public	$61,760	87.3%	1,190	61.5%	$17,274
9	Saint Norbert College De Pere#474 national	Private	$58,363	92.2%	1,143	73.6%	$44,432
10	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater#506 national	Public	$55,356	82.8%	1,090	64.3%	$17,916
11	Concordia University-Wisconsin Mequon#560 national	Private	$56,075	67.5%	1,250	64.3%	$34,250
12	Carthage College Kenosha#657 national	Private	$56,950	84.2%	1,113	60.5%	$36,500
13	Wisconsin Lutheran College Milwaukee#658 national	Private	$54,664	79.0%	1,214	62.7%	$35,080
14	University of Wisconsin-River Falls River Falls#664 national	Public	$54,458	81.6%	1,120	60.9%	$16,887
15	Viterbo University La Crosse#704 national	Private	$55,660	73.3%	1,184	65.2%	$32,350
16	Beloit College Beloit#710 national	Private	$53,260	57.4%	1,318	67.2%	$58,554
17	Edgewood College Madison#730 national	Private	$59,728	94.5%	N/A	67.4%	$34,850
18	University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Oshkosh#749 national	Public	$55,548	86.7%	1,090	57.9%	$16,125
19	Ripon College Ripon#796 national	Private	$54,902	83.9%	1,143	59.9%	$50,700
20	University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie#822 national	Public	$58,084	84.7%	1,150	52.5%	$18,706
21	Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee#838 national	Public	$46,894	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,996
22	Lakeshore Technical College Cleveland#842 national	Public	$47,113	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,842
23	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Flex Milwaukee#871 national	Public	$54,990	92.3%	N/A	N/A	N/A
24	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point#943 national	Public	$52,021	90.1%	1,120	56.0%	$17,854
25	Fox Valley Technical College Appleton#962 national	Public	$45,684	N/A	N/A	N/A	$7,109
26	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee#996 national	Public	$54,990	88.4%	1,090	51.2%	$22,020
27	Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire#1018 national	Public	$46,297	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,917
28	Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac#1053 national	Public	$44,371	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,917
29	University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay#1059 national	Public	$52,528	87.8%	1,090	53.1%	$16,929
30	Northcentral Technical College Wausau#1069 national	Public	$44,925	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,615
31	Northwood Technical College Rice Lake#1070 national	Public	$43,406	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,583
32	Western Technical College La Crosse#1084 national	Public	$45,303	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,909
33	Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Fennimore#1122 national	Public	$43,470	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,989
34	Maranatha Baptist University Watertown#1135 national	Private	$45,593	70.9%	1,141	65.7%	$20,280
35	Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay#1151 national	Public	$44,553	N/A	N/A	N/A	$7,097
36	Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee#1171 national	Public	$41,113	N/A	N/A	N/A	$7,210
37	Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee#1178 national	Private	$41,174	62.8%	1,040	63.3%	$42,268
38	University of Wisconsin-Parkside Kenosha#1208 national	Public	$51,129	72.6%	1,090	39.8%	$16,497
39	Lakeland University Plymouth#1215 national	Private	$55,961	91.1%	N/A	55.8%	$32,286
40	Gateway Technical College Kenosha#1230 national	Public	$40,264	N/A	N/A	N/A	$7,046
41	Mid-State Technical College Wisconsin Rapids#1232 national	Public	$42,253	N/A	N/A	N/A	$7,016
42	Alverno College Milwaukee#1251 national	Private	$53,145	93.1%	N/A	50.5%	$32,794
43	Blackhawk Technical College Janesville#1356 national	Public	$41,620	N/A	N/A	N/A	$5,927
44	Mount Mary University Milwaukee#1569 national	Private	$48,745	93.3%	1,050	58.9%	$34,390
45	Marian University Fond Du Lac#1612 national	Private	$53,501	66.8%	N/A	41.2%	$33,000
46	Nicolet Area Technical College Rhinelander#1707 national	Public	$38,643	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,917
47	University of Wisconsin-Superior Superior#1868 national	Public	$49,606	93.6%	1,050	44.1%	$16,400
48	Madison Area Technical College Madison#1948 national	Public	$45,413	N/A	N/A	26.3%	$7,027
49	Herzing University-Kenosha Kenosha#2359 national	Private	$36,909	89.4%	N/A	50.0%	$13,420
50	Bryant & Stratton College-Wauwatosa Wauwatosa#2599 national	Private	$32,568	N/A	N/A	23.5%	$19,944

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Excludes for-profit institutions.

Compare any two colleges

Use CollegeBound's interactive compare tool to see admissions, costs, and outcome data side by side for any schools in Wisconsin or beyond.

Open Compare Tool

Best Colleges in Other States

Alabama→Alaska→Arizona→Arkansas→California→Colorado→Connecticut→Delaware→

← National Rankings