Best colleges for education in Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin-River Falls ranks first in Wisconsin for education value (#69 nationally, value score 72.4): graduates earn $54,043 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $14,703 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 17 Wisconsin colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best education colleges in Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin-River Falls ranks first in Wisconsin for education value (#69 nationally, value score 72.4): graduates earn $54,043 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $14,703 a year. 17 Wisconsin colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $46,637 and the average net price is $16,492 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 17 Wisconsin colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $46,637 and the average net price is $16,492 a year.
- The highest education earnings in the state are at Marquette University ($56,955), ranked #3 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
- The lowest average net price among them is at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay: $12,211 a year.
- Median earnings
- $46,637
- National: $48,822
- Median net price
- $16,492
- National: $17,201
- Median federal debt
- $23,250
- education graduates
- Public colleges
- 12 of 17
- in this list
17 colleges
The Wisconsin ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Rank in Wisconsin 1
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
River Falls, WI · Public · #69 nationally
72.4Value- Earnings
- $54,043
- Net price
- $14,703
- Federal debt
- $18,541
- Graduation rate
- 58%
- Earnings
- $49,640
- Net price
- $16,600
- Federal debt
- $12,010
- Graduation rate
- 90%
- Earnings
- $56,955
- Net price
- $30,561
- Federal debt
- $19,500
- Graduation rate
- 79%
- Earnings
- $56,563
- Net price
- $17,533
- Federal debt
- $21,947
- Graduation rate
- 53%
- Rank in Wisconsin 5
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI · Public · #236 nationally
51.8Value- Earnings
- $47,473
- Net price
- $16,133
- Federal debt
- $20,500
- Graduation rate
- 62%
- Rank in Wisconsin 6
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI · Public · #267 nationally
48.9Value- Earnings
- $49,228
- Net price
- $15,625
- Federal debt
- $24,308
- Graduation rate
- 50%
- Rank in Wisconsin 7
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Whitewater, WI · Public · #295 nationally
46.2Value- Earnings
- $46,637
- Net price
- $13,737
- Federal debt
- $23,542
- Graduation rate
- 56%
- Rank in Wisconsin 8
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Green Bay, WI · Public · #305 nationally
45.3Value- Earnings
- $44,331
- Net price
- $12,211
- Federal debt
- $18,000
- Graduation rate
- 47%
- Rank in Wisconsin 9
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, WI · Public · #310 nationally
44.8Value- Earnings
- $46,328
- Net price
- $17,064
- Federal debt
- $23,500
- Graduation rate
- 71%
- Rank in Wisconsin 10
Waukesha, WI · Private nonprofit · #311 nationally
44.7Value- Earnings
- $50,285
- Net price
- $24,205
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 69%
- Rank in Wisconsin 11
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI · Public · #324 nationally
43.7Value- Earnings
- $45,181
- Net price
- $14,757
- Federal debt
- $19,877
- Graduation rate
- 53%
- Earnings
- $48,349
- Net price
- $26,444
- Federal debt
- $23,250
- Graduation rate
- 66%
- Rank in Wisconsin 13
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Platteville, WI · Public · #390 nationally
36.2Value- Earnings
- $43,805
- Net price
- $15,451
- Federal debt
- $22,600
- Graduation rate
- 58%
- Earnings
- $45,902
- Net price
- $16,492
- Federal debt
- $24,579
- Graduation rate
- 47%
- Earnings
- $46,418
- Net price
- $28,822
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 72%
- Rank in Wisconsin 16
University of Wisconsin-Superior
Superior, WI · Public · #443 nationally
30.4Value- Earnings
- $43,561
- Net price
- $13,843
- Federal debt
- $23,690
- Graduation rate
- 43%
- Rank in Wisconsin 17
Concordia University-Wisconsin
Mequon, WI · Private nonprofit · #452 nationally
28.2Value- Earnings
- $45,665
- Net price
- $29,239
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Graduation rate
- 67%
Method: the same value score as the national education ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about education colleges in Wisconsin
What are the best colleges for education in Wisconsin?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Wisconsin colleges for education are University of Wisconsin-River Falls (value score 72.4), University of Wisconsin-Madison (value score 70.5) and Marquette University (value score 67.2). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which Wisconsin college has the highest earnings for education graduates?
Marquette University: its education graduates have median earnings of $56,955 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable education college in Wisconsin on this list?
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has the lowest average net price of the ranked Wisconsin colleges, $12,211 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many Wisconsin colleges are ranked for education?
17 Wisconsin colleges have a education bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within Wisconsin.