Milwaukee Institute
of Art & Design
Private College in Milwaukee, WI. Six-year graduation rate 67%. Median 10-year earnings $41,174.
Ten-year median earnings of $41,174 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. Completion is a strength: 67% of students finish within six years. Median debt at graduation reaches $27,000, heavy enough to shape the years right after the degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Debt-to-income ratio 0.66 — elevated (above 0.60)
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 61% puts Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. With 1,039 applicants, admissions statistics here move a lot on small changes. 33% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design →Academics
67% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. 80% of full-time first-years return for a second year — a healthy figure. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. At 11:1, students get materially more instructor contact than at a typical public university. As a private nonprofit four-year college, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 883 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $27,579 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $21,419 while those at $110k+ pay $32,540. Most students get help: 100% receive grants worth $25,205 on average. Borrowing is widespread: 78% take federal loans.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 200 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $21,419 |
| $30–48k | $22,531 |
| $48–75k | $22,440 |
| $75–110k | $26,746 |
| $110k+ | $32,540 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 692 of these 883 students, totalling $4,854,057 — an average of $7,015 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Milwaukee County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)