Best Private Colleges in Wisconsin 2024

Badge for BEST IN WISCONSIN PRIVATE COLLEGES

Published: May 6, 2021
Updated: Oct 16, 2023

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.

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

Lakeland University 100%
Edgewood College 99%
Wisconsin Lutheran College 94%
Cardinal Stritch University 93%
Alverno College 90%
Marquette University 87%
St. Norbert College 84%
Carthage College 82%
Ripon College 81%
Maranatha Baptist University 75%

Lakeland University 16 to 1
Carroll University 14 to 1
Ripon College 14 to 1
Marquette University 13 to 1
Carthage College 13 to 1
Milwaukee School of Engineering 13 to 1
Viterbo University 12 to 1
Wisconsin Lutheran College 12 to 1
Marian University 12 to 1
Edgewood College 12 to 1

Beloit College $56,312
Lawrence University $53,979
Ripon College $49,600
Marquette University $46,670
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

Carthage College $33,450
Milwaukee School of Engineering $24,786
Marquette University $22,410
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

Wisconsin Lutheran College
Maranatha Baptist University
Mount Mary University
Lakeland University
Marian University
Northland College
Viterbo University
Ripon College
Edgewood College
Alverno College

Maranatha Baptist University
Wisconsin Lutheran College
Northland College
Marian University
Lakeland University
Mount Mary University
Viterbo University
Cardinal Stritch University
Alverno College
St. Norbert College

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%
Maranatha Baptist University 75%

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

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
Wisconsin Lutheran College $33,762
Carthage College $34,500

Maranatha Baptist University $7,120
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
St. Norbert College $12,640
Carroll University $12,938

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

What is the difference between public and private colleges?

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.

How do we determine Wisconsin's best private 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.

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.