University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Public College in Kenosha, WI. Six-year graduation rate 40%. Median 10-year earnings $51,129.
Ten years after entry, the median University of Wisconsin-Parkside student earns $51,129 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Six-year completion sits at 40%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $20,492, neither a bargain nor a burden.
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
75% of applicants get in, so the odds favor most reasonably prepared students. The applicant pool runs to 2,649, typical for a school of this reach. 26% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. 29% of enrolled first-years submitted an ACT 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 | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | 17–25 | 153 (29%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Wisconsin-Parkside →Academics
Completion is middling: 40% finish inside six years. Retention of 69% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. That gap between coming back and finishing is where this school loses people — after the first year, not during it. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 43% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. At 20:1, class sizes land in the normal range for an undergraduate institution.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,951 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $10,234 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $7,425 at the $0–30k band to $17,917 at $110k+. About 55% get grants averaging $7,276, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing reaches 39% 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 · 537 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 | $7,425 |
| $30–48k | $7,592 |
| $48–75k | $11,241 |
| $75–110k | $15,071 |
| $110k+ | $17,917 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,164 of these 2,951 students, totalling $7,532,642 — an average of $6,471 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Kenosha 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)