Public · University

University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Kenosha, Wisconsin · Fringe rural

#1 best value in Wisconsin
75.4%
Admit rate
$11,772
Avg net price
40%
Graduation rate
$51,129
Median earnings

University of Wisconsin-Parkside is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Kenosha, Wisconsin (fringe rural setting), enrolling 2,844 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 2,844 undergradsFringe ruralAccessible · 75% admitNCAA Division II without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
75.4%
ACT (mid 50%)
17–25
Avg GPA (est.)
3.16

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

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

About Kenosha, Wisconsin

Kenosha is a city in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The Potawatomi originally named the area Kenozia (also transcribed ginoozhe, kinoje) "place of the pike", while the Menominee referred to the place as Kenūsīw, meaning "Northern Pike". The early Ojibwa name is reported as Masu-kinoja "trout (pike) come all at once". Kenosha's cuisine mirrors common food culture throughout Wisconsin. It is home to a variety of restaurants including multiple supper clubs and German-American venues. Additionally, the city is home to two award-winning drive-in burger stands, The Spot and Big Star. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To Great Lakes shore
2 miles
Nearest airport
21 miles to General Mitchell (MKE) · major hub

How University of Wisconsin-Parkside compares

Selectivity75.4%

More selective than 54% · #11 most selective of 34 in Wisconsin

SAT average1090

Higher than 27%

Graduation rate40%

Higher than 24% · #33 of 33 in Wisconsin

First-year retention69%

Higher than 27%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,129

Higher than 41% · #30 of 36 in Wisconsin

Average net price$11,772

Cheaper than 85% · #1 cheapest of 33 in Wisconsin

Median debt at graduation$20,492

Lower than 73%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 10%

Undergraduate enrollment2,844

Larger than 68%

Percentiles compare University of Wisconsin-Parkside 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

3,585students
  • Undergraduate2,84479%
  • Graduate74121%

Undergraduates by gender

2,844undergrads
  • Women1,61157%
  • Men1,23343%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White58%
  • Black8.9%
  • Hispanic21%
  • Asian3.0%
  • Other or multiracial8.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,844
Graduate enrollment
741
Student–faculty ratio
20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
17%
Median family income
$42,730
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$75,492
Endowment
$17,033,096

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 565 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Wisconsin84%
  • Other U.S. states12%
  • International4.4%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Wisconsin-Parkside draws overwhelmingly from Wisconsin.

4% 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
75.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1090
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
17–25
Average GPA (estimated)
3.16

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,270
Out-of-state tuition
$17,429
Room & board
$8,750
Books & supplies
$1,404
Total cost of attendance
$18,199
Average net price
$11,772

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)
40%
Graduated on time (4 years)
23%
First-year retention
69%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$42,154
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,129
Median debt at graduation
$20,492
Students with federal loans
36%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
47%

About 18% 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
23%
Low-income (Pell)
36%
First-generation
35%

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
850
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
30%
Housing charge (year)
$5,072
Meal plan (year)
$3,019
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
422 (267 men · 155 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 (8)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)190
Soccer59
Baseball49
Wrestling40
Basketball29
Softball22
Volleyball19
Golf14

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
8
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,925 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.

3.0reported offenses a year
2.7 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.0
Fondling
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
$7,425
$30–48k
$7,592
$48–75k
$11,241
$75–110k
$15,071
$110k+
$17,917

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
$52,360

$11,241/year × about 4.7 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.

35%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,549
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 35% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,549. 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 428 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)
$51,129
Typical debt at graduation
$20,492
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
56%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 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
$47,946
Men
$56,331

Men out-earn women by $8,385 (17%) 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
78°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
37″
Annual snow
41″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Racine, WI US station (5.1 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-Parkside

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

Colleges near University of Wisconsin-Parkside

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.