Cost & financial aid brief
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Wisconsin-La Crosse cost after financial aid?
The aid pattern at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse leaves lower-income bands with lower average net prices than middle- and upper-income bands. Aid covers about 17% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
The lowest and next-lowest income bands sit below the middle band, while the next-highest and highest bands are closer to the published price. That pattern shows larger average aid offsets at lower family incomes, though grants and scholarships can differ across individual aid packages.
The sticker price still matters because recipients retain a net cost after grants and scholarships.
The published cost of attendance at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is $19,593. Azimuth ranks the university #424 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $8,224 for families earning under $30,000, $10,608 for families earning $48,001 to $75,000, and $18,991 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,767.
Aid covers about 17% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $16,210, which is $2,142 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,500 in federal student loans, $1,271 above the $21,229 peer median. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $16,958.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $256 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing reaches 92.7% of federal aid recipients at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, so debt is a common part of the cost picture for this public university. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $22,500.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $21,229; the university's median is $1,271 above it. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $16,958.
The investment picture is mixed: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse graduates have median earnings of $60,184 four years after completion. Azimuth places those earnings in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $10,157 less than expects for similar students. Azimuth places earnings beyond expectations in the 19th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The earnings scenarios range from $49,608 in the downside scenario to $76,922 in the upside scenario, with $60,184 as the typical scenario. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $22,500, which is $1,271 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $256 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parent borrowing warrants its own look: median Parent PLUS borrowing is $16,958 for parent borrowers, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers. For student borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $256 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $16,958
- Estimated parent payment
- $215/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 12.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.7% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.7% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.8% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $22,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $16,958
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $256/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $215/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $471/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $60,184, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.5% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.