Research brief & institution hub

University of Wisconsin-Stout

WIMedium public institution · Overall rank #517 nationally

Data snapshot September 27, 2026Updated October 1, 2026

Mobility leads Azimuth's composite school profile.

Who it’s a good fit for

University of Wisconsin-Stout is a public university in Menomonie, Wisconsin, whose degree mix is led by Business, Visual & Performing Arts, and Computer & Information Sciences. Mobility is the strongest , above average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes part of that gap to a remainder it does not explain, which subtracts from earnings, and part to the factors it measures, which add to them.

The adjusted result is the one to weigh against the raw earnings picture. The net price for the lowest income band sits well below the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it.

Pell students complete within a few points of the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and mobility is above average. 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 programs should know that the highest-earning fields are much smaller ones.

University of Wisconsin-Stout at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate^[1]: 87.7%
Six-year completion^[2]: 54.9%
Four-year earnings^[3]: $64,234

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income^[6]: $13,164
Median student debt^[4]: $23,000
Median Parent PLUS debt^[7]: $11,000

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

University of Wisconsin-Stout is a public university in Menomonie, Wisconsin, enrolling 5,842 undergraduates. In the Azimuth ranking of 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions, the university's composite standing is in the middle of the field.

The university admits 87.7% of applicants, against a median of 85.9% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of students who enter full time, 78.9% continue to a second year and 54.9% earn a degree within six years.

Those figures sit against peer medians of 73.7% and 49.1%. An estimated 27.8% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, meaning the six-year graduation rate describes the first-time, full-time cohort and not the entire student body.

The four pillars show a profile where mobility is the strongest (72nd percentile) and access is the weakest (40th percentile). Return and affordability sit between them (62nd and 67th percentiles), creating a spread across the pillars without a sharp divide.

Mobility is the clearest strength at University of Wisconsin-Stout, while access is the area that sits furthest behind its other measures. Its mobility pillar is in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth puts affordability in the 67th percentile and return in the 62nd percentile. Access falls in the 40th percentile, making it the weakest of the four pillars.

The stronger mobility and affordability readings sit alongside a more limited access reading.

23.9% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a federal aid measure of financial access, and among ACT submitters the middle half of scores extended from 20 to 27. These two measures describe the entering class's economic background and tested preparation, the raw material for the access and mobility picture.

Azimuth ranks University of Wisconsin-Stout #881 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort complete at 52.7%, which sits below the overall six-year graduation rate (54.9%) by 2.2 percentage points.

Azimuth ranks the university #413 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,558 less than the model expects for similar students, the earnings-beyond-expectations result for this campus.

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

University of Wisconsin-Stout rankings in context
Geography	Rank
National	#517

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility: National percentile: 72

Access & reach: National percentile: 40

Affordability: National percentile: 67

Return on investment: National percentile: 62

01 / University of Wisconsin-Stout briefing

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

For aid recipients, University of Wisconsin-Stout brings its published price down, though its average net price remains above that of comparable institutions. The published cost of attendance is $22,797.

In-state tuition and fees are $10,701, while out-of-state tuition and fees are $19,265. Room and board are listed at $9,008.

, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $17,490. Financial aid savings average $5,307, and aid covers about 23% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, placing the university $3,422 above that benchmark. Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid reduces the published cost, but the remaining average price is still above the peer median.

At University of Wisconsin-Stout, the published cost of attendance is $22,797, and aid recipients’ prices differ widely by family-income band. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,966 for the lowest-income band, $12,229 for the lower-middle-income band, $13,164 for the middle-income band, $19,528 for the upper-middle-income band, and $22,028 for the highest-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,062. Azimuth ranks the university #462 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, financial aid saves $5,307 against the sticker price and covers about 23% of the published cost. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $17,490, which is $3,422 above the peer median of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published in-state tuition and fees are $10,701, compared with $19,265 for out-of-state tuition and fees. The overall price sits above the comparable-school midpoint despite average aid savings.

Federal borrowing is common here, with median debt above that at comparable institutions. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $23,000, and 92.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

That median is $1,771 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $11,000.

The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 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$13,164

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-Stout

Federal borrowing is widespread at University of Wisconsin-Stout, with 92.3% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,000.

The median is above the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), by $1,771. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $11,000.

Widespread federal borrowing and debt above the peer median point to a cost picture families should weigh carefully.

University of Wisconsin-Stout presents a mixed investment picture: earnings sit above comparable institutions, but fall short of the model’s expectation. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $64,234.

Azimuth places that figure in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,558 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios put earnings at $64,234 in the typical case, $49,565 in the downside case, and $87,265 in the upside case.

Median federal student debt at completion is $23,000, above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,771. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years.

The peer earnings comparison is favorable, but the model result and borrowing figures point to a mixed return picture.

Among the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing comes to $11,000. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 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: $23,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt: $11,000

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

Estimated student payment · monthly: $261/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly: $140/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-Stout briefing

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

The return picture is mixed: graduates sit above the peer median, yet their earnings fall short of the model’s expectation. Azimuth places University of Wisconsin-Stout’s return pillar in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $3,558 less than the model expects for similar students. That earnings-beyond-expectations result, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $8,555. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $12,113.

Median earnings four years after completion are $64,234, in the 63rd percentile. They are $6,933 above the peer median of $57,301, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Four years after graduating, federally aided completers from University of Wisconsin-Stout who are working and not enrolled report a median of $64,234. That sits $6,933 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that measure falls at the 63rd percentile, based on a cohort of 1,924 completers. Graduates earn about $3,558 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the earnings gap at the 41st percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $49,565 on the downside to $87,265 on the upside, with $64,234 as the typical outcome.

An estimated 22.1% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The earnings picture is mixed: the median exceeds the peer benchmark but falls short of the model's expectation.

At University of Wisconsin-Stout, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $64,234 four years after completion, in the 63rd percentile. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, with the university $6,933 above it.

Graduates earn about $3,558 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 41st percentile.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $3,050. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $49,565 on the downside to $87,265 on the upside, with $64,234 as the typical scenario.

Azimuth places the return pillar in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer comparison and the model expectation measure point in different directions.

Construction Management has the highest listed median earnings: 40 degrees awarded and $101,758 four years after completion, a ratio of 1.07x against the national median for its field. Among the largest programs, Business Administration and Management awarded 196 degrees and had median earnings of $68,697, with a 1.01x ratio; Design and Applied Arts awarded 144 degrees, earned $57,718, and had a 1.12x ratio; and Computer Software and Media Applications awarded 67 degrees, earned $74,146, and had a 1.26x ratio against the national median for its field.

Earnings vary widely across earnings scenarios, from $49,565 in the downside case to $87,265 in the upside case four years after completion. These are scenarios based on program mix, not observed groups, and they show why a schoolwide median cannot describe every field.

At University of Wisconsin-Stout, borrowing is somewhat higher than at comparable public universities of similar size, even though the payment estimate remains a separate planning figure. Borrowers who completed had median federal student loan debt of $23,000, which is above the $21,229 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate parent-borrower population, had median borrowing of $11,000.

Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, was $17,490, above the comparable-institution median of $14,068. Graduates earn about $3,558 less than the model expects for similar students.

Higher borrowing and price than the peer medians sit alongside earnings below the model’s expectation.

What explains value-added earnings?

Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.: +$8,555
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.: -$12,113
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.: -$3,558

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

Read the full outcomes brief

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Wisconsin-Stout briefing

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

The higher end of University of Wisconsin-Stout’s program earnings is concentrated in technical fields. Construction Management reports median earnings of $101,758 four years after completion, alongside 40 degrees awarded.

Applied Mathematics also posts $92,803 with 27 degrees awarded. These fields sit at the higher end of the program figures shown, though their award totals differ.

Larger programs show more moderate earnings in other fields. Business Administration and Management reports $68,697 four years after completion and 196 degrees awarded, while Design and Applied Arts reports $57,718 with 144 degrees awarded.

The contrast between these fields and the technical programs means that the earnings picture varies materially by field.

Business accounts for 24.1% of bachelor's degrees awarded, but program earnings span a wide range across University of Wisconsin-Stout's offerings. Earnings data are published for 32 bachelor's fields, giving applicants a program-level view beyond the school-wide median.

Among the largest programs, Business Administration and Management awarded 196 degrees and has median earnings of $68,697 four years after completion. Computer Software and Media Applications adds 67 degrees awarded and median earnings of $74,146.

University of Wisconsin-Stout awards bachelor's degrees across 32 programs with published four-year earnings data. The program mix is concentrated in applied fields: Business accounts for 24.1% of degrees awarded, followed by Visual & Performing Arts at 14.6% and Computer & Information Sciences at 12.2%.

The largest single program is Business Administration and Management, awarding 196 degrees a year. Its graduates earn a median of $68,697 four years after completion, a benchmark ratio of 1.01x against the national median for its field.

The highest-earning programs are in engineering and applied sciences. Construction Management leads at $101,758, from 40 degrees awarded, and Applied Mathematics follows at $92,803 with 27 degrees.

Mechanical Engineering, the third-largest program at 77 degrees, also ranks among the top earners at $87,645. The pattern is one of strength spread across technical and professional fields rather than concentrated in a single department.

The highest earnings sit in programs like Construction Management and Applied Mathematics that are smaller than the business and design majors that dominate the degree count. A student's choice of field matters a great deal for earnings here.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields

Business Administration, Management and Operations 196 degrees awarded: $68,697
Design and Applied Arts 144 degrees awarded: $57,718
Mechanical Engineering 77 degrees awarded: $87,645
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas 76 degrees awarded: $56,563
Computer Software and Media Applications 67 degrees awarded: $74,146
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services 51 degrees awarded: $48,043

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-Stout briefing

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

Mobility is the strongest Azimuth pillar for University of Wisconsin-Stout, at the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 54.9%, and Pell recipients complete at 52.7%, below the overall rate by 2.2 percentage points.

For earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, graduates earn about $3,558 less than the model expects for similar students. That measure sits in the 41st percentile nationally.

The mobility picture is stronger on completion than on modeled .

Admission is broad at University of Wisconsin-Stout, where 87.7% of applicants are admitted. The public university has 5,842 undergraduates; 23.9% receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 27.8% enter as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places its access pillar in the 40th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The enrollment mix combines a modest Pell share with a substantial estimated transfer presence.

06 / University of Wisconsin-Stout briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Wisconsin-Stout?^[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-Stout.

Admissions peerHamline University87.6% admitted

Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Stout
Measure	University of Wisconsin-Stout	Hamline University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,234	$61,017-$3,217 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout
Average annual net price	$17,490	$20,744+$3,254 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout · higher cost
Admission rate	87.7%	87.6%

Explore Hamline University →

Higher-admission alternativeUniversity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee100.0% admitted

Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Stout
Measure	University of Wisconsin-Stout	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,234	$62,480-$1,754 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout
Average annual net price	$17,490	$15,014-$2,476 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout · lower cost
Admission rate	87.7%	100.0%

Explore University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee →

Nearby alternativeUniversity of Wisconsin-Eau ClaireNearby option · WI

Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Stout
Measure	University of Wisconsin-Stout	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,234	$60,838-$3,396 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout
Average annual net price	$17,490	$16,550-$940 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout · lower cost
Admission rate	87.7%	82.3%

Explore University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire →

Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities$71,941 earnings

Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Stout
Measure	University of Wisconsin-Stout	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,234	$71,941+$7,707 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout
Average annual net price	$17,490	$16,778-$712 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout · lower cost
Admission rate	87.7%	79.8%

Explore University of Minnesota-Twin Cities →

Lower-cost alternativeSaint Mary's University of Minnesota$11,704 average net price

Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Stout
Measure	University of Wisconsin-Stout	Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,234	$72,502+$8,268 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout
Average annual net price	$17,490	$11,704-$5,786 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout · lower cost
Admission rate	87.7%	92.8%

Similar profileSaginaw Valley State UniversityMatched across several measures

Comparison with University of Wisconsin-Stout
Measure	University of Wisconsin-Stout	Saginaw Valley State University
Peer earnings · 4 years	$64,234	$63,454-$780 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout
Average annual net price	$17,490	$10,775-$6,715 vs University of Wisconsin-Stout · lower cost
Admission rate	87.7%	72.1%

Explore Saginaw Valley State University →

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 September 27, 2026Governed hub narrative September 27, 2026Governed spoke corpus September 27, 2026

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.

Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.
Source fields: ADM_RATE
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.
Source fields: RET_FT4
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
Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.
Source fields: PCTPELL
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
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