Private nonprofit · Institute
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Large city
- 60.5%
- Admit rate
- $26,541
- Avg net price
- 67%
- Graduation rate
- $41,174
- Median earnings
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (large city setting), enrolling 837 undergraduates.
About Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The etymological origin of the name Milwaukee is disputed. Wisconsin academic Virgil J. Vogel has said, "the name [...] Milwaukee is not difficult to explain, yet there are a number of conflicting claims made concerning it." Milwaukee is a popular location for sailing, boating, and kayaking on Lake Michigan, ethnic dining, and cultural festivals. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to Milwaukee, WI
- To Great Lakes shore
- < 1 mile
- Nearest airport
- 6 miles to General Mitchell (MKE) · major hub
How Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design compares
More selective than 76% · #3 most selective of 34 in Wisconsin
Higher than 72% · #12 of 33 in Wisconsin
Higher than 61%
Higher than 16% · #35 of 36 in Wisconsin
Cheaper than 25% · #29 cheapest of 33 in Wisconsin
Lower than 11%
Lower than 68%
Larger than 32%
Percentiles compare Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Wisconsin.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women54765%
- Men29035%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White64%
- Black6.0%
- Hispanic18%
- Asian4.7%
- Other or multiracial7.2%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 837
- Student–faculty ratio
- 11 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 37%
- First-generation students
- 30%
- Students over 25
- 3%
- Median family income
- $48,419
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $58,743
- Endowment
- $4,095,645
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 200 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Wisconsin56%
- Other U.S. states44%
A regional draw: about 56% of first-years come from Wisconsin, the rest from elsewhere.
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
- 60.5%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $43,743
- Room & board
- $10,955
- Books & supplies
- $1,100
- Total cost of attendance
- $53,528
- Average net price
- $26,541
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)
- 67%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 58%
- First-year retention
- 80%
- Transferred to another college
- 9%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $29,841
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $41,174
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 78%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 53%
About 9% 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)
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
- 450
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 54%
- Application fee
- Free
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%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (838 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$22,440/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.
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,345. 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 221 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)
- $41,174
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 66%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 47%
Typical debt would take roughly 6.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
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.
Men out-earn women by $9,328 (25%) 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
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 15°F
- Annual rain
- 39.4″
- Annual snow
- 52.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, West Allis, WI US station (4.8 mi from campus).
What Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design graduates study — and earn
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 Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design side by side →
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland, Ohio · Large city · 5 mi to Cleveland
- Students
- 539
- Admission
- 61%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1193
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $43k
Johnson University
Knoxville, Tennessee · Fringe rural · 10 mi to Knoxville
- Students
- 743
- Admission
- 65%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1078
- GPA
- 3.1
- Earnings
- $41k
Union Commonwealth University
Barbourville, Kentucky · Remote town · 63 mi to Knoxville
- Students
- 746
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 980
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $42k
Columbus College of Art & Design
Columbus, Ohio · Large city · 1 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 882
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $41k
Converse University
Spartanburg, South Carolina · Small city · 28 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 1,173
- Admission
- 68%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1138
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $41k
Kentucky Christian University
Grayson, Kentucky · Distant town · 71 mi to Charleston
- Students
- 429
- Admission
- 61%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1090
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $42k
Colleges near Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
The Institute of Beauty and Wellness
Milwaukee, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 186 students
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,654 students
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Milwaukee, WI · Public · Certificate · 12,024 students
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,660 students
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI · Public · Bachelor's · 16,758 students
Alverno College
Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 631 students
Wisconsin Lutheran College
Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 943 students
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI · Private nonprofit · Graduate
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.











