R1 ResearchPublic

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin·Public, 4-year or above·Great Lakes·uwm.edu
6-yr Graduation
49%
-14.0pp vs R1 Research
Total enrollment
22,450
peer median 26,349
Avg net price
$16,177
-$376 vs R1 Research
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
16,079
16,079 candidates competed
Admitted
14,581
90.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
3,464
23.8% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
49%-14.0pp vs R1 Research
4-year graduation
31%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
53%
Full-time retention
73%

Pell equity

9.0pp gap
Pell recipients
45%
Non-Pell
54%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 9.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 293 Title IV programs, 79 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 213 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
293
Passing
79
27.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.3% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.3%
-0.3pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

293programs
  • Passing79 · 27.0%
  • No Data213 · 72.7%
  • Failing1 · 0.3%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
4
Watch
9
Safe
66
No data
213

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

80
Dance
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-18.6%
$29,695 vs $36,491
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+3.1%
$37,616 vs $36,491
Public Health
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+7.0%
$61,155 vs $57,169
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Graduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+7.3%
$61,345 vs $57,169
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+8.1%
$39,452 vs $36,491
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+13.3%
$64,799 vs $57,169
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+13.5%
$64,875 vs $57,169
Ethnic Cultural Minority Gender and Group Studies
Bachelor Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
+16.3%
$42,435 vs $36,491

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+3.1%
+$1,125

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

80
Dance
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
88%
$26,242 debt · $29,695 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
First Professional Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
83%
$69,893 debt · $83,942 earn
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
79%
$51,250 debt · $64,799 earn
Library Science and Administration
Master's Degree · Library Science
74%
$40,717 debt · $54,925 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
68%
$27,000 debt · $39,452 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
68%
$25,561 debt · $37,616 earn
Public Health
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
67%
$41,000 debt · $61,155 earn
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences General
Graduate Certificate · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
67%
$41,000 debt · $61,345 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1969Next review Aug 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 18

Action history · 21

  1. Oct 2025Deferral of Action
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · School Psychology (SCPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
  2. Dec 2024Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Commission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language
  3. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  4. Aug 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  5. Apr 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on English Language Program Accreditation · English Language

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$10,860
$30–48k$12,001
$48–75k$15,762
$75–110k$19,773
$110k+$21,112

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$16,177
-$375vs R1 Research median $16,553
Federal loans
43.8%
In-state tuition
$10,020
Out-of-state
$22,020

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 7,736 students received $43.3M in Pell grants, alongside $84.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
7,736
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$43.3M
$43,276,465 total
Direct Loans
$84.8M
14,766 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

7k
20
6k
21
6k
22
7k
23
8k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$22.7M
5,844 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$28.3M
6,712 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$22.7M
1,433 loan awards
Parent PLUS$8.2M
594 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.9M
183 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 6,352 borrowers who entered repayment, 116 (1.8%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.8%
-0.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
6,352
Defaulted
116
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.3%
2017
8.1%
2018
6.2%
2019
1.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at UWM

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs171
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

3,737 total completions
01Business
82822.2%
02Health Professions
68318.3%
03Computer Sciences
39010.4%
04Psychology
3409.1%
05Education
3389.0%
06Visual/Performing Arts
3338.9%
07Engineering
2777.4%
08Social Sciences
1985.3%
09Public Admin
1915.1%
10Biological Sciences
1594.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
22,450
12-mo unduplicated
26,166
Undergraduate
21,020
Graduate
5,146

Gender split

Men
43%11,307
Women
57%14,859

Race / ethnicity composition

White
60.4%
Hispanic
15.3%
Black
8.1%
Asian
7.2%
Two or more
4.7%
Non-resident
2.2%
Unknown
1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
322
164 M · 158 W
Women athletes
49.1%
Athletic aid
$4.7M
Total student aid
Budget
$14.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$2.1M
$2.6M
Recruiting expense
$87K
$59K
Head-coach salaries
$127K
$78K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 7

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
118 M · 109 W
$1.5M
Swimming and Diving (combined)
34 M · 32 W
$1.2M
Soccer
26 M · 37 W
$1.7M
Baseball
35 M ·
$1.1M
Basketball
18 M · 16 W
$4.3M
Volleyball
· 16 W
$764K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.19
95 offenses · 22,676 students

3-year trend

0.902 yrs ago2.521 yr ago4.19Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
177
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
41
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
9
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
10

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
34
Rape
15
Aggravated assault
14
Burglary
13
Fondling
10
Robbery
9

By location

95total
  • On campus40
  • Non-campus19
  • Public property36

Includes 17 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

6
Domestic violence
4
Dating violence
3
Stalking
13 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation2
  • Ethnicity1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons115
Drugs775
Liquor1171

Residence-hall fires

  • Sandburg Hall4 fires
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Sandburg Hall4 fires
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Sandburg Hall4 fires
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Sandburg Hall4 fires
    Machinery/IndustrialDamage $0-$99
  • Kenilworth Sq. Apartments.1 fire
    ElectricalDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 7 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
928

UWM vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions UWM selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
49%22,450$16,177R1 Research
University of Wisconsin-Madison
90%45.2%51,044$16,928R1 Research
Wayne State University
58%81.2%23,803$14,773R1 Research
Ohio University-Main Campus
65%85.0%26,323$20,413R1 Research
Kent State University at Kent
64%86.3%26,374$19,614R1 Research
University of Illinois Chicago
62%77.4%33,906$12,313R1 Research
Peer group median63%81.2%26,349$16,553

Frequently asked questions about University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about UWM.

What is the graduation rate at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee?

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee reports a 6-year graduation rate of 49% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee?

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee reports a total enrollment of 22,450 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee?

The average net price at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is $16,177 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee?

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's yield rate is 23.8%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee located?

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211.

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