Private nonprofit · University

Lawrence University

Appleton, Wisconsin · Small city

#3 graduation rate in Wisconsin
63.9%
Admit rate
$23,401
Avg net price
77%
Graduation rate
$55,789
Median earnings

Lawrence University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Appleton, Wisconsin (small city setting), enrolling 1,396 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,396 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 64% admitNCAA Division III with football · Midwest ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
63.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1200–1420
Avg GPA (est.)
3.74

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

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

About Appleton, Wisconsin

Appleton is a city, and the county seat of Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States, with small portions extending into Calumet and Winnebago counties. The territory where Appleton is today was formerly occupied by the Ho-Chunk and the Menominee. The Menominee Nation ceded the territory to the United States in the Treaty of the Cedars in 1836. Appleton tourist attractions include the Hearthstone Historic House Museum, the four-story mansion that was the first house in US to be powered by hydroelectricity at its completion in 1881. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
To Great Lakes shore
28 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Appleton (ATW)

How Lawrence University compares

Selectivity63.9%

More selective than 72% · #6 most selective of 34 in Wisconsin

SAT average1350

Higher than 85%

Graduation rate77%

Higher than 87% · #3 of 33 in Wisconsin

First-year retention87%

Higher than 80%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$55,789

Higher than 56% · #15 of 36 in Wisconsin

Average net price$23,401

Cheaper than 34% · #24 cheapest of 33 in Wisconsin

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio7 : 1

Lower than 92%

Undergraduate enrollment1,396

Larger than 47%

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

Lawrence University campus

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

1,396undergrads
  • Women73353%
  • Men66347%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White60%
  • Black4.6%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian3.6%
  • Other or multiracial20%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,396
Student–faculty ratio
7 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
22%
First-generation students
17%
Students over 25
1%
Median family income
$83,776
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$79,065
Endowment
$461,234,427

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 336 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Wisconsin23%
  • Other U.S. states66%
  • International11%

A national draw — only 23% of first-years come from Wisconsin; 66% arrive from other states.

11% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
63.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1200–1420
SAT average
1350
SAT reading
610–710
SAT math
590–710
ACT composite
24–31
Average GPA (estimated)
3.74

Cost

In-state tuition
$56,982
Room & board
$12,165
Books & supplies
$900
Total cost of attendance
$69,849
Average net price
$23,401

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)
77%
Graduated on time (4 years)
57%
First-year retention
87%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$40,653
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$55,789
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Students with federal loans
49%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
74%

About 20% 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
57%
Low-income (Pell)
71%
First-generation
68%

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
1,450
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$6,153
Meal plan (year)
$5,685
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Midwest Conference
Varsity athletes
580 (338 men · 242 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)157
Soccer67
Football59
Ice Hockey58
Lacrosse53
Basketball40
Baseball36
Swimming and Diving (combined)30
Fencing27
Tennis25
Softball17
Volleyball11

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
D
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
8.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
30
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,417 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.

11reported offenses a year
10 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
5.3
Fondling
2.3
Aggravated assault
2.0
Burglary
1.3
Robbery
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
$10,419
$30–48k
$13,332
$48–75k
$15,020
$75–110k
$20,256
$110k+
$32,758

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
$65,935

$15,020/year × about 4.4 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
$38,867
average award, among those who get one

Lawrence University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $38,867. 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 364 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)
$55,789
Typical debt at graduation
$26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
47%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

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
$54,502
Men
$58,629

Men out-earn women by $4,127 (8%) 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
82°F
Winter low
10°F
Annual rain
33.1″
Annual snow
49.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Appleton, WI US station (2.3 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 Lawrence University

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

Colleges near Lawrence 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.