University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Public College in Whitewater, WI. Six-year graduation rate 63%. Median 10-year earnings $55,356.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $55,356 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. The six-year graduation rate is 63%, meaning about two in five students who start do not finish. Graduates carry a median of $23,188 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
With an acceptance rate of 86%, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater takes nearly everyone who applies. 10,187 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. 25% of those admitted enroll, which is unremarkable in either direction. Read the score bands below as the middle 50% of submitted scores, not a threshold to clear.
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 | 17–24 | 1,538 (71%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater →Academics
63% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention is 78% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. The part-time picture is harder: 44% return, against 78% full-time. A 21:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 9,180 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $12,709 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. The income table below is the number that matters — $8,440 at $0–30k versus $18,229 at $110k+. 49% get grants, which means the net price above will not apply to most applicants. About 49% borrow federally, roughly the national pattern.
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 · 2,179 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 | $8,440 |
| $30–48k | $8,752 |
| $48–75k | $11,176 |
| $75–110k | $16,551 |
| $110k+ | $18,229 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 4,513 of these 9,180 students, totalling $26,745,481 — an average of $5,926 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Walworth 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)