Best value colleges in Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin college we have data for, ranked by 10-year return on investment.
Top colleges in Wisconsin
Showing the top 66 of 85 by ROI — sort the table, or use the finder to filter all Wisconsin colleges by cost, earnings and major.
| # | College | Type | 5-yr earnings | Net price | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | DR Rating | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI | Private | $88,204 | $22,453 | $27,000 | +334% | Strong return | |
| 2 | Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee, WI | Public | $54,658 | $11,101 | $12,000 | +263% | Strong return | |
| 3 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI | Public | $72,573 | $17,354 | $20,484 | +259% | Strong return | |
| 4 | Carroll University Waukesha, WI | Private | $66,141 | $15,193 | $27,000 | +199% | Strong return | |
| 5 | Madison Area Technical College Madison, WI | Public | $54,252 | $14,238 | $14,060 | +175% | Strong return | |
| 6 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI | Public | $61,042 | $14,305 | $21,500 | +147% | Strong return | |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville, WI | Public | $62,719 | $16,032 | $21,977 | +146% | Strong return | |
| 8 | Marian University Fond Du Lac, WI | Private | $67,410 | $21,937 | $25,000 | +131% | Strong return | |
| 9 | Marquette University Milwaukee, WI | Private | $75,086 | $31,487 | $23,940 | +123% | Strong return | |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI | Public | $59,985 | $16,210 | $22,500 | +105% | Strong return | |
| 11 | Bellin College Green Bay, WI | Private | $76,677 | $37,408 | $18,000 | +103% | Strong return | |
| 12 | Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI | Public | $50,389 | $11,407 | $10,402 | +103% | Strong return | |
| 13 | Viterbo University La Crosse, WI | Private | $63,641 | $21,260 | $25,000 | +98% | Strong return | |
| 14 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI | Public | $58,504 | $15,014 | $23,000 | +97% | Strong return | |
| 15 | Western Technical College La Crosse, WI | Public | $50,158 | $11,008 | $11,500 | +97% | Strong return | |
| 16 | University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI | Public | $60,376 | $17,490 | $23,000 | +96% | Strong return | |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin-Parkside Kenosha, WI | Public | $55,403 | $11,772 | $20,492 | +91% | Strong return | |
| 18 | Alverno College Milwaukee, WI | Private | $63,663 | $22,540 | $27,000 | +87% | Strong return | |
| 19 | Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI | Public | $48,955 | $9,268 | $8,225 | +84% | Strong return | |
| 20 | Wisconsin Lutheran College Milwaukee, WI | Private | $62,306 | $23,245 | $26,000 | +69% | Strong return | |
| 21 | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI | Public | $57,338 | $16,550 | $20,909 | +67% | Strong return | |
| 22 | Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire, WI | Public | $49,791 | $12,285 | $11,432 | +67% | Strong return | |
| 23 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls River Falls, WI | Public | $54,820 | $14,054 | $20,500 | +54% | Break-even | |
| 24 | Concordia University-Wisconsin Mequon, WI | Private | $68,470 | $36,201 | $25,750 | +52% | Break-even | |
| 25 | Mid-State Technical College Wisconsin Rapids, WI | Public | $48,741 | $10,873 | $8,000 | +52% | Break-even | |
| 26 | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI | Public | $54,750 | $14,158 | $23,188 | +50% | Break-even | |
| 27 | Lakeshore Technical College Cleveland, WI | Public | $47,892 | $9,653 | $7,000 | +32% | Break-even | |
| 28 | Edgewood University Madison, WI | Private | $58,481 | $26,113 | $24,424 | +19% | Break-even | |
| 29 | Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Fennimore, WI | Public | $48,177 | $12,896 | $7,500 | +11% | Break-even | |
| 30 | Northcentral Technical College Wausau, WI | Public | $47,593 | $10,303 | $7,500 | +11% | Break-even | |
| 31 | Carthage College Kenosha, WI | Private | $56,640 | $26,565 | $26,000 | +1% | Break-even | |
| 32 | Lakeland University Plymouth, WI | Private | $54,459 | $24,212 | $25,000 | -11% | Poor return | |
| 33 | Herzing University-Brookfield Brookfield, WI | Private | $52,640 | $20,514 | $21,500 | -15% | Poor return | |
| 34 | University of Wisconsin-Superior Superior, WI | Public | $49,592 | $12,220 | $22,500 | -20% | Poor return | |
| 35 | Herzing University-Kenosha Kenosha, WI | Private | $52,640 | $23,066 | $21,500 | -24% | Poor return | |
| 36 | Herzing University-Madison Madison, WI | Private | $50,860 | $22,327 | $21,500 | -40% | Poor return | |
| 37 | Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI | Public | $46,821 | $12,928 | $12,165 | -40% | Poor return | |
| 38 | Ripon College Ripon, WI | Private | $49,803 | $20,216 | $27,000 | -47% | Poor return | |
| 39 | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay, WI | Public | $48,121 | $13,369 | $18,500 | -48% | Poor return | |
| 40 | Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay, WI | Public | $46,139 | $9,918 | $11,719 | -53% | Poor return | |
| 41 | University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI | Public | $48,048 | $14,559 | $21,503 | -54% | Poor return | |
| 42 | Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee, WI | Public | $46,073 | $9,112 | $14,955 | -55% | Poor return | |
| 43 | Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI | Private | $50,029 | $26,172 | $26,731 | -56% | Poor return | |
| 44 | Mount Mary University Milwaukee, WI | Private | $45,938 | $20,144 | $25,288 | -90% | Poor return | |
| 45 | Maranatha Baptist University Watertown, WI | Private | $45,687 | $26,005 | $14,143 | -94% | Poor return | |
| 46 | Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI | Private | $43,264 | $26,541 | $27,000 | -115% | Poor return | |
| 47 | Beloit College Beloit, WI | Private | $43,221 | $21,526 | $25,738 | -119% | Poor return | |
| 48 | Lawrence University Appleton, WI | Private | $42,469 | $23,401 | $26,000 | -125% | Poor return | |
| 49 | Bryant & Stratton College-Wauwatosa Wauwatosa, WI | Private | $40,939 | $14,858 | $21,549 | -160% | Poor return | |
| 50 | Blackhawk Technical College Janesville, WI | Public | $43,238 | $9,330 | $9,550 | -180% | Poor return | |
| 51 | Northwood Technical College Rice Lake, WI | Public | $41,518 | $8,989 | $8,250 | -266% | Poor return | |
| 52 | Nicolet Area Technical College Rhinelander, WI | Public | $41,498 | $8,255 | $7,837 | -281% | Poor return | |
| 53 | Milwaukee Career College Milwaukee, WI | For-profit | $33,402 | $27,038 | $7,046 | -305% | Poor return | |
| 54 | The Salon Professional Academy-Appleton Appleton, WI | For-profit | $31,136 | $19,436 | $9,991 | -426% | Poor return | |
| 55 | The Salon Professional Academy-Onalaska Onalaska, WI | For-profit | $29,896 | $17,857 | $8,374 | -490% | Poor return | |
| 56 | The Salon Professional Academy-Kenosha Kenosha, WI | For-profit | $32,155 | $30,353 | $6,333 | -493% | Poor return | |
| 57 | VICI Beauty School Greenfield, WI | For-profit | $30,010 | $10,496 | $6,333 | -743% | Poor return | |
| 58 | Paul Mitchell the School-Milwaukee Wauwatosa, WI | For-profit | $28,576 | $18,700 | $10,486 | -829% | Poor return | |
| 59 | Academy of Beauty Professionals Madison, WI | For-profit | $25,390 | $19,549 | $6,333 | -997% | Poor return | |
| 60 | The Institute of Beauty and Wellness Milwaukee, WI | For-profit | $31,030 | $12,897 | $6,333 | -1,019% | Poor return | |
| 61 | The Institute of Beauty and Wellness Madison Madison, WI | For-profit | $31,030 | $12,568 | $6,333 | -1,039% | Poor return | |
| 62 | State College of Beauty Culture Wausau, WI | For-profit | $24,688 | $16,844 | $5,606 | -1,176% | Poor return | |
| 63 | First Class Cosmetology School Beloit, WI | For-profit | $21,506 | $17,777 | $10,194 | -1,193% | Poor return | |
| 64 | Empire Beauty School-Green Bay Ashwaubenon, WI | For-profit | $22,816 | $16,250 | $10,231 | -1,210% | Poor return | |
| 65 | Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI | For-profit | $22,816 | $16,101 | $10,231 | -1,219% | Poor return | |
| 66 | Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Janesville Janesville, WI | For-profit | $20,953 | $15,809 | $9,333 | -1,352% | Poor return |
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Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.