University of
Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Public College in Eau Claire, WI. Six-year graduation rate 65%. Median 10-year earnings $58,561.
Ten years after entry, the median University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire student earns $58,561 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. The six-year graduation rate of 66% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Graduates carry a median of $20,909 in debt — in line with the national norm.
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
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire accepts 82% of applicants, which makes it accessible to most students who meet the baseline requirements. The applicant pool runs to 8,824, typical for a school of this reach. Yield sits at 28% — the remainder of admitted students enroll elsewhere or not at all. The score bands below rest on the 44% of enrolled first-years who submitted an ACT score — a self-selected group, and not a cutoff.
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 | 22–27 | 898 (44%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire →Academics
66% of students finish within six years, putting completion well above the national norm. Retention is strong at 82%, and first-year attrition is where most degrees are lost. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. The part-time picture is harder: 50% return, against 82% full-time. A 19:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 8,995 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $15,151 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $10,270 while those at $110k+ pay $20,778. Grant aid reaches 50% of students at an average of $6,159. Federal borrowing reaches 44% of students.
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 · 2,139 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 | $10,270 |
| $30–48k | $10,968 |
| $48–75k | $12,766 |
| $75–110k | $18,278 |
| $110k+ | $20,778 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 3,915 of these 8,995 students, totalling $22,959,746 — an average of $5,865 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Eau Claire 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)