College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of Wisconsin-Platteville

WIMedium public institution · Overall rank #412 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth’s composite view puts return at the center.

Who it’s a good fit for

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is a public university in Wisconsin where Engineering, Business, and Agriculture & Natural Resources dominate the degree mix. Return is above average, and the university is built for a student who wants a hands-on technical degree and expects to work after finishing.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the typical graduate earns above the median at comparable schools. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds to expected earnings, while the part it attributes to what it cannot explain subtracts.

Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish at a rate above the overall cohort, and mobility is above average. The spread between the lowest and highest income bands is moderate, meaning aid brings the price down but does not erase the difference.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest program should know that it is not the highest-earning one on campus.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
89.4%
Six-year completion[2]
55.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$70,899

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$12,065
Median student debt[4]
$21,977
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$15,000

University of Wisconsin-Platteville rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

University of Wisconsin-Platteville is a public university in Platteville, Wisconsin, enrolling 5,837 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the upper third among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Most applicants to University of Wisconsin-Platteville are admitted: the rate is 89.4%, against a peer median of 85.9% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. For the full-time entering cohort, 79.0% continue past the first year and 55.8% complete a degree within six years.

Those rates compare with peer medians of 73.7% and 49.1%. An estimated 18.8% of entrants arrive as transfers, so the six-year graduation rate covers only those who began full time and does not reflect the entire student body.

Three of the four at University of Wisconsin-Platteville cluster in the upper third, with return the strongest and mobility and affordability close behind. Access sits much lower, at the 32nd percentile, creating a wide spread between the pillars. The profile is uneven, with access lagging well behind the other three.

Return is the clearest strength at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, while access is the area with the least favorable pillar result. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, return sits in the 75th percentile, the university's strongest pillar.

Mobility follows in the 74th percentile and affordability in the 73rd percentile. Access is in the 32nd percentile, its weakest pillar. The higher return, mobility, and affordability readings contrast with access.

The middle 50% of submitted ACT scores fell between 21 and 28. 21.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

Azimuth ranks University of Wisconsin-Platteville #999 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients complete at 58.6%, 2.8 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate (55.8%).

Azimuth ranks the university #377 for mobility. Graduates earn about $3,903 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

University of Wisconsin-Platteville rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#412

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 74
Access & reach
National percentile: 32
Affordability
National percentile: 73
Return on investment
National percentile: 75

Top-ranked majors

  1. Engineering Physics#4
  2. Plant Sciences#8
  3. Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians#10

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of Wisconsin-Platteville briefing

University of Wisconsin-Platteville cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at University of Wisconsin-Platteville is $21,266. In-state tuition and fees are $8,644, and room and board is $9,886.

Out-of-state students pay $17,603 in tuition and fees. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $16,032.

Aid covers about 25% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. That sits $1,964 above the median at comparable institutions (same type and size), which is $14,068.

Azimuth ranks the university #384 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 73rd percentile.

At University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the published cost of attendance is $21,266, but aid recipients’ costs vary substantially by family income. In the lowest family-income band, average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,009; it is $10,459 in the next band, $12,065 in the middle band, $17,984 in the next-higher band, and $20,245 in the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,236. Azimuth ranks the university #384 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 25% of the published cost, an average financial-aid saving of $5,234. For first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients, the average net price is $16,032, which is $1,964 above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published in-state tuition and fees are $8,644, compared with $17,603 for out-of-state tuition and fees. Borrowing is common here: 90.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $21,977.

That median is $748 above the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $15,000.

The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$12,065

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Federal borrowing is common at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, with 90.9% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,977.

Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median federal debt of $21,229; the university’s median is above that reference by $748. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $15,000.

At University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the return picture pairs earnings above the model’s expectation with borrowing above the level at comparable institutions. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $70,899 four years after completion.

Azimuth places those earnings in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,903 more than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations means the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students; Azimuth places that measure in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The program-mix scenarios put earnings at $49,140 in a downside scenario, $70,899 in a typical scenario, and $89,196 in an upside scenario.

Median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,977, $748 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

Above-expected earnings and debt above the peer median point in different directions.

For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing is $15,000. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$21,977
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$15,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$250/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$191/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

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.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / University of Wisconsin-Platteville briefing

University of Wisconsin-Platteville career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $70,899, in the 78th percentile. That is $13,598 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the return pillar at the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,903 more than the model expects for similar students.

That puts the gap at the 68th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures adds $10,698.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,795. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $5,680.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville posts a $70,899 median four years after completion, giving graduates an early earnings picture built from federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. The measure covers 2,162 completers and sits in the 78th percentile, according to Azimuth, among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $3,903 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix put the downside at $49,140 and the upside at $89,196, while the typical scenario aligns with the observed median.

An estimated 23.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The above-expected earnings and the scenario range point to a favorable early-career picture.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $70,899, at the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That is $13,598 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks University of Wisconsin-Platteville #368 for return. Graduates earn about $3,903 more than the model expects for similar students.

That puts the gap at the 68th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,698.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,795. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $5,680.

The university awards 44.3% of its degrees in STEM fields, and the kinds of fields involved include engineering and technical programs. Estimated from the program mix, the downside earnings scenario is $49,140 and the upside is $89,196.

An estimated 23.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Program choice accounts for a wide modeled earnings range at the university. The downside earnings scenario is $49,140, and the upside scenario is $89,196 four years after completion; these are scenarios, not observed graduate groups. The 23 programs with published earnings data show substantial variation.

At University of Wisconsin-Platteville, borrowers who completed had median federal student loan debt of $21,977. That is above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size), so borrowing sits somewhat higher than the reference point for similar public universities.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $3,903 more than the model expects for similar students.

The return picture therefore has competing signals: debt is above the peer median, while graduates earn more than the model expects. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate population, with median borrowing of $15,000.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$10,698
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$6,795
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$3,903

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / University of Wisconsin-Platteville briefing

University of Wisconsin-Platteville acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

University of Wisconsin-Platteville admitted 89.4% of applicants to its reported entering class, an outcome above the peer benchmark. That benchmark is the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Admissions
Admission rate
89.4%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Wisconsin-Platteville briefing

What are the largest majors at University of Wisconsin-Platteville?[12]

At University of Wisconsin-Platteville, four-year earnings differ sharply across larger fields, so the return picture depends on the degree selected. Engineering Physics shows median earnings of $85,901 four years after completion; Azimuth ranks it #4 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 24 degrees awarded.

Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians reaches $83,958, ranks #10 in its field, and awarded 98 degrees. The moderate-earning fields still hold strong field rankings.

Plant Sciences has median earnings of $61,085 four years after completion; Azimuth ranks it #8 nationally within its field among nonprofit four-year institutions, and it awarded 36 degrees. Agricultural Business and Management posts $66,059, ranks #16 in its field, and awarded 69 degrees.

The figures show distinct earnings levels across fields with nationally ranked programs.

Engineering dominates the degree mix at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, accounting for 33.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded. Business is a distant second at 13.8%, followed by Agriculture & Natural Resources at 10.9%.

The university has 19 nationally ranked programs. Engineering Physics is ranked #4 in its field, and it is also the top-ranked program in Wisconsin.

The program awarded 24 degrees and its graduates earned a median of $85,901 four years after completion. Mechanical Engineering is the largest single program, with 197 degrees awarded, a national rank of #145, and median earnings of $87,139.

Plant Sciences is another strong performer, ranking #8 nationally and first in Wisconsin, with 36 degrees awarded and median earnings of $61,085. Agricultural Business and Management rounds out the ranked programs at #16 nationally, with 69 degrees awarded and median earnings of $66,059.

The degree mix at University of Wisconsin-Platteville is anchored in Engineering, which accounts for 33.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Business at 13.8% and Agriculture & Natural Resources at 10.9%. The university has 19 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 23 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Mechanical Engineering, at 197 degrees awarded, with Business Administration and Management and Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians each at 98 degrees awarded. The highest-ranked program is Engineering Physics, which Azimuth ranks #1 in Wisconsin within its field, with median earnings of $85,901 four years after completion.

Plant Sciences ranks #8 nationally and #1 in Wisconsin within its field, from 36 degrees awarded. The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Computer Engineering graduates earn $95,300 four years after completion, from 44 degrees awarded a year.

The pattern is a university built around engineering and applied fields, with strength concentrated in technical programs that are well-ranked rather than scattered across the catalog. 44.3% of degrees awarded are in STEM, and the highest-ranked programs sit in fields where the degree coincides with strong direct employment.

The largest program, Mechanical Engineering, earns $87,139 four years after completion and ranks #145 nationally within its field.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Mechanical Engineering 197 degrees awarded
$87,139
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians 98 degrees awarded
$83,958
Business Administration, Management and Operations 98 degrees awarded
$66,306
Criminal Justice and Corrections 94 degrees awarded
$59,533
Civil Engineering 83 degrees awarded
$81,976
Agricultural Business and Management 69 degrees awarded
$66,059

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / University of Wisconsin-Platteville briefing

How does University of Wisconsin-Platteville serve students from different backgrounds?

At University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Pell recipients complete within six years at 58.6%, above the overall six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort of 55.8% by 2.8 percentage points. Azimuth places the university’s mobility pillar in the 74th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $3,903 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are in the 68th percentile. The completion pattern and modeled earnings point in the same direction.

Entry is relatively open at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, which admits 89.4% of applicants and enrolls 5,837 undergraduates. Pell Grant recipients account for 21.1% of undergraduates, and an estimated 18.8% of the undergraduate population arrives as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission, Pell, and transfer figures describe who reaches this public university through different entry routes.

06 / University of Wisconsin-Platteville briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Wisconsin-Platteville?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

Admissions peerUniversity of Iowa83.6% admitted
Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Platteville
MeasureUniversity of Wisconsin-PlattevilleUniversity of Iowa
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,899$69,866-$1,033 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Average annual net price$16,032$22,531+$6,499 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville · higher cost
Admission rate89.4%83.6%
Explore University of Iowa →
Higher-admission alternativeAmerican International College99.6% admitted
Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Platteville
MeasureUniversity of Wisconsin-PlattevilleAmerican International College
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,899$71,565+$666 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Average annual net price$16,032$23,274+$7,242 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville · higher cost
Admission rate89.4%99.6%
Nearby alternativeViterbo UniversityNearby option · WI
Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Platteville
MeasureUniversity of Wisconsin-PlattevilleViterbo University
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,899$69,675-$1,224 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Average annual net price$16,032$21,260+$5,228 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville · higher cost
Admission rate89.4%72.4%
Higher-earnings alternativeMichigan Technological University$84,560 earnings
Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Platteville
MeasureUniversity of Wisconsin-PlattevilleMichigan Technological University
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,899$84,560+$13,661 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Average annual net price$16,032$14,182-$1,850 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville · lower cost
Admission rate89.4%92.4%
Explore Michigan Technological University →
Lower-cost alternativeUniversity of Florida$4,815 average net price
Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Platteville
MeasureUniversity of Wisconsin-PlattevilleUniversity of Florida
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,899$77,321+$6,422 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Average annual net price$16,032$4,815-$11,217 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville · lower cost
Admission rate89.4%61.3%
Explore University of Florida →
Similar profilePurdue University NorthwestMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Platteville
MeasureUniversity of Wisconsin-PlattevillePurdue University Northwest
Peer earnings · 4 years$70,899$73,337+$2,438 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Average annual net price$16,032$6,079-$9,953 vs University of Wisconsin-Platteville · lower cost
Admission rate89.4%72.4%
Explore Purdue University Northwest →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings