11 Top-Ranked Wisconsin Colleges and Universities

Wisconsin has a wide range of options for both public and private institutions. From a large public research university like the University of Wisconsin at Madison to small eco-friendly Northland College, Wisconsin has schools to match a variety of student personalities and interests. The 11 top Wisconsin colleges below are listed alphabetically to avoid the often arbitrary distinctions used to distinguish #1 from #2, and because of the impossibility of comparing a small private college with a huge state institution.

The schools were chosen based on their academic reputations, curricular innovations, first-year retention rates, six-year graduation rates, value, financial aid, and student engagement. Keep in mind that the criteria used for inclusion on this list may have little to do with the features that would make a college a good match for you.

You might also want to compare Wisconsin colleges' SAT scores and ACT scores.

Beloit College

Location: Beloit, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 1,394 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college
Distinctions: 11 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 15; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; large number of graduates go on to earn PhDs; curriculum emphasizes experiential learning, independent research, and fieldwork

Carroll University

Location: Waukesha, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 3,491 (3,001 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private Christian liberal arts college
Distinctions: 15 to 1 student/faculty ratio; 50 student clubs and organizations; most students get grant aid; academic experience built upon "Four Pillars" of integrated knowledge, gateway experiences, lifelong skills, and enduring values

Lawrence University

Location: Appleton, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 1,528 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts college and music conservatory
Distinctions: 9 to 1 student/faculty ratio; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; featured in Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives; 90% of students have one-on-one instruction by graduation; 44 international programs

Marquette University

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 11,294 (8,238 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private Catholic university
Distinctions: chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; 14 to 1 student/faculty ratio; 116 majors and 65 minors; strong programs in business, nursing and the biomedical sciences; member of the NCAA Division I Big East Conference

Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE)

The Grohmann Museum at MSOE, the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Jeramey Jannene / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 2,846 (2,642 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private engineering school
Distinctions: one of the country's top undergraduate engineering colleges; 16 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 21; home to the Grohmann Museum

Northland College

Location: Ashland, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 582 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: environmental liberal arts college affiliated with the United Church of Christ
Distinctions: interdisciplinary core curriculum explores the relationships between the liberal arts, the environment, and our planet's future; all students earn an environmental studies minor; small classes; member of the Eco League with four other colleges

Ripon College

Location: Ripon, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 793 (all undergraduate)
Type of Institution: private liberal arts education
Distinctions: excellent value with good grant aid; high graduation rate compared to similar schools; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; 12 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 20

St. Norbert College

Location: De Pere, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 2,211 (2,102 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private Catholic liberal arts college
Distinctions: 13 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 22; focus on the development of the whole person -- intellectual, personal and spiritual; over 60 student clubs and organizations; Honors Program with a living-learning community

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 10,637 (9,751 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public university
Distinctions: average class size of 26; students come from 37 states and 44 countries; 88 degree programs for undergraduates; located in the scenic 7 Rivers Region on the Upper Mississippi

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 42,582 (30,958 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: public university
Distinctions: flagship campus of the Wisconsin university system; 900-acre waterfront campus; member of the Association of American Universities for strong research programs; chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences; one of the top ten public universities in the country; member of the NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference

Wisconsin Lutheran College

Wisconsin Lutheran University — txnetstars / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Enrollment: 1,114 (1,000 undergraduates)
Type of Institution: private Christian liberal arts college
Distinctions: 12 to 1 student/faculty ratio; average class size of 16; 34 majors and 22 minors; 30 student clubs and organizations; good graduation rate compared to similar colleges; most students receive grant aid

Top Wisconsin Colleges