Public · University

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin · Small city

82.3%
Admit rate
$16,550
Avg net price
64%
Graduation rate
$58,561
Median earnings

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Eau Claire, Wisconsin (small city setting), enrolling 8,895 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 8,895 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 82% admitNCAA Division III with football · Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's admitted students.

Admit rate
82.3%
ACT (mid 50%)
22–27
Avg GPA (est.)
3.47

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's admitted students.

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

About Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Eau Claire is a city in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The First Treaty of Prairie du Chien, signed in 1825, established the Chippewa River "half a day's march below the falls" as the boundary between the Sioux and Chippewa, and the "Clear Water River, a branch of the Chippewa" as the boundary between the Chippewa and Winnebago. Eau Claire has a modest but active theater community. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
127 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Chippewa Valley (EAU)

How University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire compares

Selectivity82.3%

More selective than 40% · #19 most selective of 34 in Wisconsin

SAT average1220

Higher than 64%

Graduation rate64%

Higher than 67% · #14 of 33 in Wisconsin

First-year retention82%

Higher than 67%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$58,561

Higher than 64% · #8 of 36 in Wisconsin

Average net price$16,550

Cheaper than 66% · #12 cheapest of 33 in Wisconsin

Median debt at graduation$20,909

Lower than 69%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment8,895

Larger than 87%

Percentiles compare University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 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

9,593students
  • Undergraduate8,89593%
  • Graduate6987%

Undergraduates by gender

8,895undergrads
  • Women5,73264%
  • Men3,16336%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White85%
  • Black1.1%
  • Hispanic4.3%
  • Asian3.0%
  • Other or multiracial6.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
8,895
Graduate enrollment
698
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
20%
First-generation students
22%
Students over 25
4%
Median family income
$79,294
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$82,413
Endowment
$76,742,889

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 2,163 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Wisconsin67%
  • Other U.S. states32%
  • International1.0%

A regional draw: about 67% of first-years come from Wisconsin, the rest from elsewhere.

1% 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
82.3%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1220
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
22–27
Average GPA (estimated)
3.47

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,642
Out-of-state tuition
$19,228
Room & board
$8,978
Books & supplies
$400
Total cost of attendance
$21,705
Average net price
$16,550

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)
64%
Graduated on time (4 years)
44%
First-year retention
82%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$50,011
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$58,561
Median debt at graduation
$20,909
Students with federal loans
42%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
73%

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
44%
Low-income (Pell)
49%
First-generation
51%

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
4,031
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
45%
Housing charge (year)
$5,325
Meal plan (year)
$3,700
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Varsity athletes
919 (525 men · 394 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 (16)

Track and Field (Outdoor)134
Track and Field (Indoor)128
Football124
Soccer71
Swimming and Diving (combined)69
Ice Hockey62
Cross Country53
Baseball51
Wrestling41
Basketball38
Tennis35
Softball28
Lacrosse22
Volleyball22
Golf21
Gymnastics20

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
26
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (10,049 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.

9.3reported offenses a year
8.7 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
6.7
Fondling
1.7
Statutory rape
0.3
Burglary
0.3
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
$10,270
$30–48k
$10,968
$48–75k
$12,766
$75–110k
$18,278
$110k+
$20,778

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
$57,054

$12,766/year × about 4.5 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.

44%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,921
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 44% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,921. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 2,117 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)
$58,561
Typical debt at graduation
$20,909
Debt vs. one year's pay
36%
Out-earn a HS grad
73%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 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
$55,309
Men
$65,306

Men out-earn women by $9,997 (18%) 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
8°F
Annual rain
32.8″
Annual snow
54″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Eau Claire 3SW, WI US station (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 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire side by side →

Colleges near University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

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.