Viterbo University
Private College in La Crosse, WI. Six-year graduation rate 68%. Median 10-year earnings $55,660.
Ten years after entry, the median Viterbo University student earns $55,660 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. The six-year graduation rate of 68% is well above average and the clearest sign this school holds onto its students. Graduates carry a median of $25,000 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
- ! Mobility score 0.8 — limited economic uplift documented
Admissions
An acceptance rate of 72% puts Viterbo University on the accessible end — a realistic target for a broad range of applicants. 1,734 students applied in the most recent cycle — a mid-sized pool drawn mostly from the surrounding region. A 16% yield rate is low: the admitted pool is much larger than the entering class. 47% 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 | — | 3 (2%) |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | 22–26 | 94 (47%) |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Viterbo University →Academics
A 68% six-year graduation rate is the strongest academic signal on this page. Retention of 76% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. At 10:1, 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. The undergraduate body is just 1,443, which shapes everything from class size to how often a required course is offered.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,392 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $21,933 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. The income table below is the number that matters — $13,657 at $0–30k versus $26,365 at $110k+. Grant aid is widespread — 87% of students receive it, averaging $18,774. Borrowing is widespread: 60% 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 · 252 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 | $13,657 |
| $30–48k | $16,927 |
| $48–75k | $16,463 |
| $75–110k | $20,847 |
| $110k+ | $26,365 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 839 of these 1,392 students, totalling $5,992,418 — an average of $7,142 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (La Crosse 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)