Solid graduate outcomes with earnings above the peer average.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
Earnings growth at UW-La Crosse follows a steady upward trajectory from early to mid-career periods. Graduates earn $49,626 six years after enrollment, rising to $57,231 at eight years and reaching $60,378 at the ten-year mark.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings exceed the peer average, indicating above-typical outcomes for this institution type.
Financial justification for the investment.
Healthy debt burden. Most graduates can manage $22,500 in debt with typical earnings.
UW-La Crosse graduates carry median debt of $22,500, placing the institution around the national average and slightly above the peer median of $21,105. Debt levels range from $7,500 at the 25th percentile to $27,000 at the 75th percentile, indicating moderate variation in borrowing patterns among graduates.
UW-La Crosse demonstrates above-average return on investment, ranking at the 71.9th percentile in Azimuth's return index. While graduates earn $1,530 below expectations based on student demographics, placing the institution around the national average for earnings uplift, they significantly outperform peer institutions with median earnings of $60,378 compared to the peer median of $50,116.
Approximately 24.5% of UW-La Crosse graduates continue to graduate or professional study, indicating balanced preparation for both immediate workforce...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Program-level earnings demonstrate significant variation across UW-La Crosse's academic portfolio. Artificial Intelligence leads with median earnings of $84,506, followed by Acoustics at $70,182 and Allied Health Diagnostic professions at $68,666.
Business programs show solid returns, with Accounting Technology producing $68,207 and Banking and Financial Support Services generating $65,752 annually. Biology, the institution's largest program with 262 graduates, delivers competitive earnings of $57,123 while ranking #29 nationally.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
Earnings distribution shows moderate variation with graduates earning between $44,880 at the 25th percentile and $81,523 at the 75th percentile. This 1.8:1 ratio indicates less earnings inequality than institutions dominated by high-return technical programs.
