Private nonprofit · University

Carroll University

Waukesha, Wisconsin · Small city

66.8%
Admit rate
$15,193
Avg net price
71%
Graduation rate
$58,009
Median earnings

Carroll University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Waukesha, Wisconsin (small city setting), enrolling 2,523 undergraduates. It has a Presbyterian Church (USA) religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,523 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 67% admitNCAA Division III with football · College Conference of Illinois and WisconsinCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Carroll University's admitted students.

Admit rate
66.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
1040–1270
Avg GPA (est.)
3.44

Enter a test score to see where you land against Carroll University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Carroll University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Waukesha, Wisconsin

Waukesha is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The Waukesha area was first settled by European-Americans in 1834, with Morris D. Cutler as its first settler. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
17 miles
Nearest airport
17 miles to General Mitchell (MKE) · major hub

How Carroll University compares

Selectivity66.8%

More selective than 68% · #7 most selective of 34 in Wisconsin

SAT average1190

Higher than 56%

Graduation rate71%

Higher than 79% · #8 of 33 in Wisconsin

First-year retention78%

Higher than 57%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,009

Higher than 62% · #11 of 36 in Wisconsin

Average net price$15,193

Cheaper than 72% · #9 cheapest of 33 in Wisconsin

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment2,523

Larger than 64%

Percentiles compare Carroll University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Wisconsin.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,080students
  • Undergraduate2,52382%
  • Graduate55718%

Undergraduates by gender

2,523undergrads
  • Women1,67566%
  • Men84834%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White70%
  • Black4.2%
  • Hispanic14%
  • Asian2.5%
  • Other or multiracial9.9%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,523
Graduate enrollment
557
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
23%
First-generation students
27%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$79,870
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$77,445
Endowment
$93,860,249

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
66.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1040–1270
SAT average
1190
SAT reading
510–640
SAT math
530–630
ACT composite
21–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.44

Cost

In-state tuition
$38,890
Room & board
$14,280
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$52,639
Average net price
$15,193

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
71%
Graduated on time (4 years)
60%
First-year retention
78%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$54,456
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$58,009
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
59%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
69%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
60%
Low-income (Pell)
56%
First-generation
55%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,775
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
70%
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
Varsity athletes
645 (366 men · 279 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)179
Football126
Soccer79
Lacrosse49
Baseball48
Basketball38
Tennis31
Swimming30
Softball20
Volleyball20
Golf18
Bowling7

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
13
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,138 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

5.3reported offenses a year
4.3 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
3.0
Fondling
1.3
Burglary
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$15,718
$30–48k
$16,875
$48–75k
$14,134
$75–110k
$15,730
$110k+
$14,891

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$59,829

$14,134/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$22,261
average award, among those who get one

Carroll University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $22,261. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 668 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$58,009
Typical debt at graduation
$27,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
47%
Out-earn a HS grad
73%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$54,139
Men
$67,068

Men out-earn women by $12,929 (24%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
81°F
Winter low
12°F
Annual rain
36″
Annual snow
36.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.54.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Waukesha Wwtp, WI US station (1.1 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Carroll University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Carroll University side by side →

Colleges near Carroll University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.