Best value colleges in Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin college we have data for, ranked by 10-year return on investment.
85
Colleges
$17,968
Avg net price as of 2024
$49,725
Median earnings as of 2024
$16,951
Median debt as of 2024
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 |
Browse by city
Milwaukee (14)Madison (7)Kenosha (6)Green Bay (5)Appleton (4)Wausau (3)La Crosse (3)Eau Claire (3)Wauwatosa (2)Janesville (2)Fond Du Lac (2)Brookfield (2)Beloit (2)Wisconsin Rapids (1)Whitewater (1)Waupun (1)Waukesha (1)Watertown (1)Superior (1)Stevens Point (1)Shorewood (1)River Falls (1)Ripon (1)Rice Lake (1)Rhinelander (1)Racine (1)Plymouth (1)Platteville (1)Pewaukee (1)Oshkosh (1)Onalaska (1)Nashotah (1)Mount Pleasant (1)Mequon (1)Menomonie (1)Keshena (1)Hayward (1)Greenfield (1)Franklin (1)Fennimore (1)
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.