Private nonprofit · University

Viterbo University

La Crosse, Wisconsin · Small city

72.4%
Admit rate
$21,260
Avg net price
68%
Graduation rate
$55,660
Median earnings

Viterbo University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in La Crosse, Wisconsin (small city setting), enrolling 1,249 undergraduates. It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,249 undergradsSmall cityAccessible · 72% admitNAIA Division IICold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
72.4%
ACT (mid 50%)
22–26
Avg GPA (est.)
3.43

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

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Viterbo University'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 Viterbo University compares

Selectivity72.4%

More selective than 59% · #9 most selective of 34 in Wisconsin

SAT average1190

Higher than 56%

Graduation rate68%

Higher than 75% · #9 of 33 in Wisconsin

First-year retention76%

Higher than 50%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$55,660

Higher than 56% · #16 of 36 in Wisconsin

Average net price$21,260

Cheaper than 44% · #17 cheapest of 33 in Wisconsin

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment1,249

Larger than 44%

Percentiles compare Viterbo University 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

2,044students
  • Undergraduate1,24961%
  • Graduate79539%

Undergraduates by gender

1,249undergrads
  • Women94075%
  • Men30925%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White80%
  • Black2.6%
  • Hispanic6.9%
  • Asian1.8%
  • Other or multiracial8.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,249
Graduate enrollment
795
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
28%
Students over 25
21%
Median family income
$67,276
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$65,781
Endowment
$65,564,998

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 252 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Wisconsin67%
  • Other U.S. states31%
  • International2.9%

A regional draw: about 65% of first-years come from Wisconsin, the rest from elsewhere.

3% 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
72.4%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
1190
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
22–26
Average GPA (estimated)
3.43

Cost

In-state tuition
$34,250
Room & board
$11,320
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$45,558
Average net price
$21,260

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)
68%
Graduated on time (4 years)
57%
First-year retention
76%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$56,804
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$55,660
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
58%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
65%

About 11% 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)
58%
First-generation
58%

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
733
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
59%
Housing charge (year)
$4,780
Meal plan (year)
$5,900
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NAIA Division II
Varsity athletes
474 (223 men · 251 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 (11)

Soccer86
Track and Field (Outdoor)68
Track and Field (Indoor)65
Baseball60
Basketball44
Volleyball37
Softball28
Other Sports27
Golf20
Bowling20
Cross Country19

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.7 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
12
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,094 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.

5.7reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
3.0
Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Aggravated assault
0.7
Rape
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
$13,657
$30–48k
$16,927
$48–75k
$16,463
$75–110k
$20,847
$110k+
$26,365

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
$69,821

$16,463/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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$18,846
average award, among those who get one

Viterbo University discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $18,846. 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 235 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)
$55,660
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
45%
Out-earn a HS grad
69%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.5 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
$55,665
Men
$55,863

Men out-earn women by $198 (0%) 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

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, LA Crosse Wfo, WI US station (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 Viterbo University

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

Colleges near Viterbo 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.