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.
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
More selective than 59% · #9 most selective of 34 in Wisconsin
Higher than 56%
Higher than 75% · #9 of 33 in Wisconsin
Higher than 50%
Higher than 56% · #16 of 36 in Wisconsin
Cheaper than 44% · #17 cheapest of 33 in Wisconsin
Lower than 34%
Lower than 76%
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
- Undergraduate1,24961%
- Graduate79539%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, LA Crosse Wfo, WI US station (3 mi from campus).
What Viterbo University 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 Viterbo University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Viterbo University side by side →
Wittenberg University
Springfield, Ohio · Small city · 23 mi to Dayton
- Students
- 1,215
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1179
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $55k
Roberts Wesleyan University
Rochester, New York · Large suburb · 10 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 1,149
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1170
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $55k
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, Arkansas · Distant town · 24 mi to Fayetteville
- Students
- 1,471
- Admission
- 76%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1195
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $54k
Walsh University
North Canton, Ohio · Large suburb · 16 mi to Akron
- Students
- 1,390
- Admission
- 71%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1193
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $60k
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Large city · 2 mi to Oklahoma City
- Students
- 1,514
- Admission
- 77%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1177
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $55k
Meredith College
Raleigh, North Carolina · Large city · 3 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 1,188
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1204
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $52k
Colleges near Viterbo University
Western Technical College
La Crosse, WI · Public · Certificate · 3,183 students
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, WI · Public · Bachelor's · 9,277 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.














