Graduate earnings are in line with similar institutions.
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.
UW-Milwaukee graduates experience steady earnings growth throughout their early careers, with median earnings rising from $45,851 six years after enrollment to $50,789 at eight years and reaching $54,990 at ten years. This represents 19.9% growth between the six-year and ten-year measurement points, indicating consistent career advancement.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings fall below the peer average for similar institutions.
Financial justification for the investment.
Healthy debt burden. Most graduates can manage $23,000 in debt with typical earnings.
UW-Milwaukee graduates carry a median debt of $23,000, which falls around the national average according to the debt tier classification. Debt levels range from $6,250 at the 25th percentile to $28,000 at the 75th percentile, showing considerable variation in borrowing patterns among students.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee demonstrates above average return performance, ranking at the 73.6th percentile nationally with strong earnings relative to educational investment. Graduates earn $8,699 beyond expectations compared to similar students, placing UW-Milwaukee in the 83.2nd percentile for value-added earnings and earning well above average recognition.
Approximately 25.3% of UW-Milwaukee graduates continue to graduate or professional study, with high confidence in this estimate based on program mix a...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Program-level earnings reveal significant variation across UW-Milwaukee's academic offerings, with Mechanical Engineering leading at $77,520 despite serving only 115 graduates. Adult Health Nurse/Nursing produces strong outcomes of $71,297 with much larger enrollment of 276 students.
Business Administration generates $66,918 among 157 graduates, while Information Science/Studies reaches $63,965 with 182 students. These high-earning programs contrast with Education, General at $44,161 and Psychology, General at $44,158, though both show strong value scores relative to their debt levels.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
Earnings distribution shows meaningful variation in career outcomes, with the 25th percentile at $36,406 and 75th percentile reaching $76,601, creating a 2.1:1 ratio between top and bottom quartiles. Low-income graduates earn $46,000, demonstrating solid mobility outcomes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
