Best Small Colleges in Wisconsin 2024

Badge for BEST IN WISCONSIN SMALL COLLEGES

Published: May 6, 2021
Updated: Mar 25, 2024

Small colleges in Wisconsin are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.

Lawrence University
Beloit College
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Carthage College
Carroll University
Concordia University Wisconsin
Ripon College
Edgewood College
St. Norbert College
Alverno College

Lakeland University 100%
Edgewood College 99%
University of Wisconsin–Superior 96%
Wisconsin Lutheran College 94%
Cardinal Stritch University 93%
Alverno College 90%
St. Norbert College 84%
Carthage College 82%
Ripon College 81%
Maranatha Baptist University 75%

University of Wisconsin–Superior 17 to 1
University of Wisconsin–Parkside 17 to 1
Lakeland University 16 to 1
Carroll University 14 to 1
Ripon College 14 to 1
Milwaukee School of Engineering 13 to 1
Carthage College 13 to 1
Viterbo University 12 to 1
Edgewood College 12 to 1
Marian University 12 to 1

Beloit College $56,312
Lawrence University $53,979
Ripon College $49,600
Milwaukee School of Engineering $46,506
St. Norbert College $43,204
Northland College $41,237
Carroll University $36,190
Cardinal Stritch University $35,444
Carthage College $34,500
Wisconsin Lutheran College $33,762

Carthage College $33,450
Milwaukee School of Engineering $24,786
Mount Mary University $18,848
Edgewood College $18,296
Carroll University $12,938
St. Norbert College $12,640
Lakeland University $12,535
Concordia University Wisconsin $12,042
Cardinal Stritch University $11,728
Marian University $11,509

Wisconsin Lutheran College
Maranatha Baptist University
Mount Mary University
Lakeland University
Marian University
Northland College
Viterbo University
University of Wisconsin–Superior
Ripon College
Edgewood College

Maranatha Baptist University
Wisconsin Lutheran College
Northland College
Marian University
Lakeland University
Mount Mary University
University of Wisconsin–Superior
University of Wisconsin–Parkside
Viterbo University
Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee School of Engineering 63%
Beloit College 66%
Northland College 68%
Mount Mary University 69%
Concordia University Wisconsin 70%
Viterbo University 72%
Marian University 72%
Lawrence University 72%
Carroll University 72%
University of Wisconsin–Parkside 73%

Cardinal Stritch University 7 to 1
Lawrence University 8 to 1
Alverno College 8 to 1
Mount Mary University 9 to 1
Northland College 10 to 1
Beloit College 10 to 1
St. Norbert College 11 to 1
Maranatha Baptist University 11 to 1
Concordia University Wisconsin 11 to 1
Viterbo University 12 to 1

University of Wisconsin–Parkside $6,298
University of Wisconsin–Superior $6,535
Maranatha Baptist University $18,810
Marian University $30,000
Viterbo University $31,150
Lakeland University $31,786
Alverno College $31,858
Concordia University Wisconsin $33,062
Mount Mary University $33,390
Edgewood College $33,550

Maranatha Baptist University $7,120
University of Wisconsin–Superior $7,640
University of Wisconsin–Parkside $8,028
Alverno College $9,744
Viterbo University $9,824
Wisconsin Lutheran College $10,080
Marian University $11,509
Cardinal Stritch University $11,728
Concordia University Wisconsin $12,042
Lakeland University $12,535

Table of Contents

Colleges and Universities 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.

Find college admissions consultants in your state.

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.

What are Wisconsin’s Colleges & Universities?

Wisconsin’s Best Overall

The following list of the best small colleges and universities in Wisconsin is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). We’ve identified 20 small colleges in Wisconsin. The list below of the best small colleges in Wisconsin. To be included schools must fully accredited, and must have student body populations below 5,000 students.

How do we determine Wisconsin's best small colleges and universities?

Methodology

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great! If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence in their fields of study.

Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is freer from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

To rank the influence of schools, we first determine the influence of scholars and professionals based on the number of citations and publications they have had over the past 10 years. In addition to publications and citations, we consider the web links to and from these sources, and the page views of those sources. We then match the influential people to their alma maters and institutions of employment, so that their influence is attributed to those schools. Our machine-learning Influence Ranking algorithm produces a numerical score of academic achievements, merits, and citations across Wikipedia, wikidata, Crossref, Semantic Scholar and an ever-growing body of data. If you are interested in exploring how and why we rank by influence, explore our methodology in more depth.

Best Small Colleges in Wisconsin 2023

Build your own college rankings

Wisconsin’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest

2021 Ranking Archive

Many of our 2024 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2023. That’s because we took a fundamentally different approach. For 2024 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.

Many states have great small colleges. If you’re interested in looking into what other states have to offer, check out the best small colleges in Nebraska and Oklahoma.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Small Colleges in Wisconsin 2024

10 Best Small Colleges in Wisconsin 2024

Colleges and Universities in Wisconsin

What are Wisconsin’s Colleges & Universities?

Best Small Colleges in Wisconsin 2023

Career Outlook for degree at Lawrence University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Beloit College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Milwaukee School of Engineering

Career Outlook for degree at Carroll University

Most Influential Alumni

Carroll University’s Online Degrees

Career Outlook for degree at Concordia University Wisconsin

Most Influential Alumni

Concordia University Wisconsin’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at St. Norbert College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Cardinal Stritch University

Most Influential Alumni

Cardinal Stritch University’s Online Degrees

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Degree Concentrations

Career Outlook for degree at Carthage College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Wisconsin–Parkside

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Alverno College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Edgewood College

Career Outlook for degree at Ripon College

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at University of Wisconsin–Superior

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Viterbo University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Northland College

Career Outlook for degree at Marian University

Career Outlook for degree at Lakeland University

Most Influential Alumni

Career Outlook for degree at Mount Mary University

Career Outlook for degree at Maranatha Baptist University

Career Outlook for degree at Wisconsin Lutheran College

Wisconsin’s Best Small College in Your Area of Interest