Best Colleges in Wisconsin

Why Should I Consider Studying in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin offers a wide array of colleges and universities for students to consider. The midwestern state’s mixture of cities and smaller towns provide a balance between outdoor opportunities, urban life, and excellent education.

Starting in Wisconsin’s largest city, prospective students will find Marquette University, the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering perched on the edge of Lake Michigan. These three schools have some of the highest graduation and student satisfaction rates in the state.

West of Miluakee is Wisconsin’s capital city, Madison. University of Wisconsin - Madison is the largest school in the state and provides high quality education for a wide variety of majors. Madison itself pairs the amenities of a medium size city with the closeness of a college town. Anything a student could want is available, without the headaches a major metropolitan area can bring.

For students seeking either a smaller student body or smaller town, the Universities of Wisconsin in Green Bay and Eau Claire might be the answer. UW - Green Bay provides a focused experience on business, psychology, and nursing while UW Eau Claire offers unique liberal arts experiences as well as accessible research collaboration with the Mayo Clinic.

Wisconsin Higher Education By The Numbers

Colleges in Wisconsin

Wisconsin has the 24th most colleges in the US with 86 colleges. For context, that's 86% fewer colleges than the leading state. 62% of Wisconsin's colleges are private and 38% of its colleges are public. (53 private colleges & 33 public colleges). It has the 25th most public colleges and the 22nd most private colleges of all the states.

Our favorite colleges in Wisconsin are University of Wisconsin-Madison, Marquette University, and Lawrence University. University of Wisconsin-Madison has the most students of any public college in Wisconsin's top 25 colleges (47,831). Marquette University has more students than any other private colleges in our top 25 (12,601).

Students in Wisconsin

The least popular state has 38,825 college students. Wisconsin has 375,019 more. There are 344,461 public college students and 69,383 private college students in Wisconsin. It has more public college students than 66% of states but fewer pivate college students than 56% of states. Its 413,844 total students make it the 23rd most popular locale in the US. 83% of Wisconsin's students attend public colleges which is the 16th highest percentage around the nation.