Ripon College
Private College in Ripon, WI. Six-year graduation rate 63%. Median 10-year earnings $54,902.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $54,902 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 63% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. 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
Admissions
Ripon College accepts 80% of applicants, which makes it accessible to most students who meet the baseline requirements. 1,974 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. Only 11% of admitted students enroll — the great majority of admits go elsewhere or nowhere. 33% of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score. The bands below describe the middle half of that group, not of the class.
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 | 510–680 | 57 (33%) |
| SAT Math | 470–590 | |
| ACT Composite | 21–27 | 61 (35%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Ripon College →Academics
63% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. 72% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in four are gone before sophomore year. At 12:1, students get materially more instructor contact than at a typical public university. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor. At 734 undergraduates, expect a small, closely-held student body.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 716 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $23,772 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. The income table below is the number that matters — $15,712 at $0–30k versus $25,280 at $110k+. Grant aid is widespread — 100% of students receive it, averaging $40,815. Most students borrow — 72% take federal loans to cover the gap.
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 · 195 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 | $15,712 |
| $30–48k | $14,267 |
| $48–75k | $16,971 |
| $75–110k | $19,124 |
| $110k+ | $25,280 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 516 of these 716 students, totalling $3,309,690 — an average of $6,414 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Fond du Lac 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)