Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in Wisconsin.
Between community colleges, technical schools, and universities, Wisconsin has 30 public schools. All the public schools in Wisconsin have affordable tuitions, ranging from $4,000 to $11,000. The University of Wisconsin - Madison has over 35,000 students in attendance, making it the largest in the state. The tuition runs about $11,000, and the school boasts an 85% graduation rate. Public affairs, veterinary medicine, and human ecology are just some of the fields students can study here.
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Of Wisconsin’s 29 private schools, 18 are religious. With just under 10,000 students, Marquette University is the largest, and tuition for this school is about $42,000. Located in Milwaukee, this Catholic, Jesuit university offers degrees in fields like business, engineering, physical therapy, and law. Also located in Milwaukee, the state’s smallest institution, the Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology, is a private graduate school with just over 30 students, and is geared toward those earning their doctoral degree in clinical psychology. Wisconsin, like many states, also provides a loan forgiveness program to those who are working in the health care field.
When people think Wisconsin, they might immediately crave cheese. After all, the state is home to a museum dedicated to all things cheese, including the annual making of a 90-pound wheel of Swiss. But The Beaver State is also known for its more than 15,000 lakes, including Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. Prospective students looking to earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree will enjoy the food, landscape, and educational variety Wisconsin has to offer.
Learn more about Wisconsin’s higher education opportunities by checking out the state’s variety of colleges and universities.
Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.
Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.
This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 19 private universities in Wisconsin. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in Wisconsin, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
81%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/27
Marquette University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
80%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1300/29
Lawrence University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
73%
Student body
1K
Beloit College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$45K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
66%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1275/27
Milwaukee School of Engineering’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
67%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1141/23
Carroll University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
59%
Student body
4K
Concordia University Wisconsin’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
78%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1120/25
St. Norbert College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
89%
Graduation
54%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1037/20
Cardinal Stritch University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
68%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1115/23
Carthage College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
91%
Graduation
48%
Student body
2K
Alverno College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
62%
Student body
2K
Edgewood College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
62%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1070/21
Ripon College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$30K
Acceptance
77%
Graduation
65%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1085/22
Viterbo University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
58%
Graduation
58%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1100/23
Northland College ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$29K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
56%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
995/19
Marian University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$31K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
43%
Student body
2K
Lakeland University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
62%
Graduation
51%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1042/18
Mount Mary University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$18K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
57%
Student body
<1K
Median SAT/ACT
1225/24
Maranatha Baptist University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
98%
Graduation
61%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1090/24
Wisconsin Lutheran College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utilized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
Check out our directory of private colleges throughout the U.S. for a look at the top private schools in every state.