University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's program mix is anchored in Business, which accounts for 22% of degree output — the largest concentration among the institution's 65 programs serving roughly 3,927 students annually. Engineering represents 7% of graduates and Arts accounts for 7%, giving the university a business-and-health-balanced profile with applied professional fields driving the majority of degrees.

Nursing combines the largest cohort with strong earnings, making it the program that contributes most to the institution's overall financial outcomes. Among the largest programs, Digital Marketing program graduates 299 students annually with median earnings of $64,173 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #73 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The Psychology, General program graduates 278 students with median earnings of $52,328, while The Nursing program graduates 244 students earning $81,067. On the earnings side, Nursing leads with median earnings of $81,067 from a cohort of 244 graduates, and Azimuth ranks the program #196 nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions follows at $73,346 with 173 graduates, and Business Administration earns $72,507 with 126 graduates — both reflecting applied fields where graduates enter the workforce directly. For context on [how Azimuth evaluates programs](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/), see the methodology overview.

The strongest earnings at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee cluster in health, engineering, and applied business fields — programs where graduates move into high-demand roles in Milwaukee's regional labor market and beyond. Programs like Information Science/Studies (median earnings of $70,639) and Finance ($69,673) represent high-mobility pathways where four-year earnings reflect direct workforce entry.

Several of the university's larger programs in education and social sciences are more likely to feed into grad-school-dependent pathways, where four-year earnings undercount the long-term trajectory. The [supply-demand map](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides additional context for how these program families align with national labor-market trends.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's published cost of attendance is $22,756, but need-based aid shifts what families actually pay. Low-income families see a net price of approximately $10,329, middle-income families pay around $12,344, and higher-income families pay approximately $21,477.

Azimuth ranks University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee #398 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

As a public university, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee participates in federal, state, and institutional aid programs, including Pell Grants, Direct Loans, and Wisconsin-specific grant programs. Need-based aid is the primary driver of the gap between sticker price and what most families pay — understanding how that gap works across income levels is worth exploring before drawing conclusions from the published cost of attendance alone.

For a fuller picture of how net price compares with sticker price, see the [net price illusion](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/). Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $23,000, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $16,149; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.

For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $62,480, median federal debt of $23,000 projects to a monthly payment of about $260 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee earn median earnings of $42,200 four years after enrollment, placing University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the 43rd percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $45,000 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band).

Graduates earn below expectations, placing the institution in the 34th percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures still represent lifetime returns relative to Wisconsin's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $32,000, the state median earnings of working adults age 25–34 with only a high school credential.

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services is the dominant program family at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, accounting for 22% of degrees, followed by Health Professions and Related Programs at 15% and Engineering at 9%. Azimuth ranks Registered Nursing, Nursing, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 55th nationally for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $68,200.

Accounting graduates earn median earnings of $49,000, and Azimuth ranks the program 122nd nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions. Computer and Information Sciences ranks 133rd nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with graduates earning median earnings of $56,900, while Finance ranks 152nd nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions and Marketing ranks 170th nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions.