Public · University
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, Wisconsin · Small city
- 75.5%
- Admit rate
- $16,210
- Avg net price
- 71%
- Graduation rate
- $60,378
- Median earnings
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a public bachelor's-granting institution in La Crosse, Wisconsin (small city setting), enrolling 9,277 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 75.5%
- ACT (mid 50%)
- 22–27
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.48
Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About La Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The first Europeans to see the region were French explorers who traveled the Mississippi River in the late 17th century. There is no written record of any visit to the site until 1805, when Lt. Zebulon Pike mounted an expedition up the Mississippi River for the United States. La Crosse has over 30 active arts organizations. The Pump House Regional Arts Center hosts visual arts exhibits throughout the year plus its own series of jazz, folk, and blues performers. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 105 miles to Madison, WI
- To Great Lakes shore
- 167 miles
- Nearest airport
- 5 miles to La Crosse (LSE)
How University of Wisconsin-La Crosse compares
More selective than 54% · #12 most selective of 34 in Wisconsin
Higher than 64%
Higher than 80% · #7 of 33 in Wisconsin
Higher than 80%
Higher than 68% · #6 of 36 in Wisconsin
Cheaper than 67% · #11 cheapest of 33 in Wisconsin
Lower than 56%
Lower than 10%
Larger than 88%
Percentiles compare University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 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
- Undergraduate9,27791%
- Graduate9459%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women5,35758%
- Men3,92042%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White89%
- Black0.6%
- Hispanic3.9%
- Asian2.0%
- Other or multiracial4.9%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 9,277
- Graduate enrollment
- 945
- Student–faculty ratio
- 20 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 14%
- First-generation students
- 21%
- Students over 25
- 2%
- Median family income
- $83,835
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $75,141
- Endowment
- $46,068,454
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 2,301 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Wisconsin80%
- Other U.S. states20%
Most first-years stay in state — University of Wisconsin-La Crosse draws overwhelmingly from Wisconsin.
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
- 75.5%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- 1220
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- 22–27
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.48
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $10,070
- Out-of-state tuition
- $19,517
- Room & board
- $8,702
- Books & supplies
- $120
- Total cost of attendance
- $19,593
- Average net price
- $16,210
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)
- 51%
- First-year retention
- 87%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $49,626
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $60,378
- Median debt at graduation
- $22,500
- Students with federal loans
- 42%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 77%
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)
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
- 3,220
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 35%
- Housing charge (year)
- $4,423
- Meal plan (year)
- $2,922
- Application fee
- $25
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 828 (390 men · 438 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 (15)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 22
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 11
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (10,446 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.
$10,608/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.
Modest institutional aid: 23% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,610. 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 2,320 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)
- $60,378
- Typical debt at graduation
- $22,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 37%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 74%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $7,986 (14%) 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
- 80°F
- Winter low
- 8°F
- Annual rain
- 37.5″
- Annual snow
- 54.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, LA Crosse Wfo, WI US station (2.1 mi from campus).
What University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 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 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare University of Wisconsin-La Crosse side by side →
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, Wisconsin · Small city · 87 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 8,895
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1220
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $59k
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri · Large city · 5 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 6,817
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1204
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $60k
State University of New York at Oswego
Oswego, New York · Distant town · 34 mi to Syracuse
- Students
- 5,473
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1187
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $58k
SUNY Brockport
Brockport, New York · Fringe town · 17 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 5,784
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1193
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $54k
University of Massachusetts-Boston
Boston, Massachusetts · Large city · 3 mi to Boston
- Students
- 11,512
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1194
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $66k
SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta, New York · Remote town · 68 mi to Albany
- Students
- 4,643
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1230
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $60k
Colleges near University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Western Technical College
La Crosse, WI · Public · Certificate · 3,183 students
Viterbo University
La Crosse, WI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,249 students
The Salon Professional Academy-Onalaska
Onalaska, WI · Private for-profit · Certificate · 67 students
Minnesota State College Southeast
Winona, MN · Public · Certificate · 1,388 students
Winona State University
Winona, MN · Public · Bachelor's · 5,144 students
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Winona, MN · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,073 students
Luther College
Decorah, IA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,379 students
Northeast Iowa Community College
Calmar, IA · Public · Associate · 1,697 students
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.














