Here’s the full picture on paying for University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, from the published cost of attendance and projected degree cost through to net price, median student debt at graduation, default outcomes, and how aid varies by family income.
Use the links below to jump straight to any section on this page:
Attendance costs at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee fell between $22,174.00 ranging to $34,174.00 depending on residency and living arrangement.
In-state students paid the lower published figure, while out-of-state students faced the higher one: near $22,174.00 for in-state students versus $34,174.00 for out-of-state students.
Below, the published cost is shown three ways — the full sticker price with no aid, the net price after the average grant package, and the net price for low-income students who typically receive the most aid.
| Tuition and fees | $10,398.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $11,776.00 |
| Total cost | $22,174.00 |
| That is 15% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $22,174.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$7,742.00 |
| Net price | $14,432.00 |
| That is 25% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $22,174.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$12,427.00 |
| Net price | $9,747.00 |
| That is 49% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $22,398.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $11,776.00 |
| Total cost | $34,174.00 |
| That is 78% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $34,174.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$7,742.00 |
| Net price | $26,432.00 |
| That is 37% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $34,174.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$12,427.00 |
| Net price | $21,747.00 |
| That is 13% above the national average net price. | |
| Explore each piece on the tuition & fees page plus living costs. |
The reported cost series has been increasing by around 1.4% per year; the projections below compound that across a degree. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. The repayment figures use a ten-year loan at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| Freshman year | $9,885.00 | $14,637.00 | $22,488.00 |
| Senior year | $10,312.00 | $15,268.00 | $23,458.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $40,390.00 | $59,803.00 | $91,885.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $15,387.00 | $22,783.00 | $35,005.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $465.00 | $688.00 | $1,057.00 |
| Total amount paid | $55,777.00 | $82,586.00 | $126,889.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| Freshman year | $9,885.00 | $14,637.00 | $22,488.00 |
| Senior year | $10,025.00 | $14,844.00 | $22,807.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $19,911.00 | $29,481.00 | $45,296.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $7,585.00 | $11,231.00 | $17,256.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $229.00 | $339.00 | $521.00 |
| Total amount paid | $27,496.00 | $40,712.00 | $62,552.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| Freshman year | $22,055.00 | $26,807.00 | $34,659.00 |
| Senior year | $23,007.00 | $27,963.00 | $36,154.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $90,115.00 | $109,529.00 | $141,610.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $34,331.00 | $41,727.00 | $53,948.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,037.00 | $1,260.00 | $1,630.00 |
| Total amount paid | $124,446.00 | $151,256.00 | $195,559.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| Freshman year | $22,055.00 | $26,807.00 | $34,659.00 |
| Senior year | $22,368.00 | $27,187.00 | $35,150.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $44,423.00 | $53,994.00 | $69,808.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $16,924.00 | $20,570.00 | $26,594.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $511.00 | $621.00 | $803.00 |
| Total amount paid | $61,347.00 | $74,563.00 | $96,403.00 |
See the full net-price breakdown in the Net Price section.
Net price strips out grant and scholarship aid to show what families really pay. This is the more honest cost figure for most families, since it accounts for institutional and federal aid.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $15,014.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $16,177.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $10,860.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $12,001.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $15,762.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $19,773.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $21,112.00 |
Run your own numbers with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Net Price Calculator, or reach out to the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid page.
The median graduating debt at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee amounts to $15,250.00, which the Department of Education classifies as a Low ($10-20k) debt-burden category.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $2,954.00 |
| 25th | $6,250.00 |
| Median (50th) | $15,250.00 |
| 75th | $28,000.00 |
| 90th | $37,367.00 |
The spread between the 10th and 90th percentiles reflects how variable debt outcomes are at this school.
Dig deeper into debt on the student loan debt detail.
Median debt at graduation differs meaningfully across income brackets. Below the data splits borrowers across three income groups:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,500.00 |
| Middle income | $15,492.00 |
| High income | $14,750.00 |
On average, low-income graduates leave with $1,750.00 more debt than high-income graduates.
First-generation students frequently graduate with different debt than continuing-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,625.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,808.00 |
First-gen borrowers at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee hold $817.00 in extra median debt compared with continuing-generation peers.
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. Looking at Pell recipients versus non-recipients tells us how debt is distributed across need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is $6,127.00. The Department of Education flags this school for a Pell-debt-inequity pattern.
The federal default-rate classification for University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 4.1% |
To give some context for these rates, Stafford loans disbursed at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee total $1,902,717,565.00 over 86,791 loan recipients.
Veterans and active-duty students can access dedicated federal education aid including the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance from the Department of Defense.
| GI Bill recipients | 468 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $8,199.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 6 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,542.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the college veterans page.
The data above is a foundation; round it out by asking yourself about University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, consider the following:
Each page below covers one part of paying for college in more detail:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.