The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is the top public institution in the state for best value, according to the 2019 SmartAsset ratings.
The study compared the university’s low tuition rate (average of $7,484) and average student living costs ($11,326) with its average starting salary of $56,000 for its graduates.
“The University of Wisconsin-Platteville takes great pride in providing an affordable and accessible education as well as ensuring our students graduate ready to enter the ever-changing workforce,” Chancellor Dennis J. Shields said. “Our dedicated faculty provide hands-on opportunities inside and outside the classroom that prepare our students so well. The fact that we just had a record number of businesses attend our career fair proves that a UW-Platteville graduate is a wanted commodity by all types of employers.”
Private institutions Milwaukee School of Engineering and Marquette topped the survey of best value schools, while UW-Madison was fourth. UW-Platteville had the lowest tuition of all of the top 10 institutions in the state.
To capture costs of the institutions, SmartAssest compared the in-state tuition, student living costs (room and board, books, supplies, transportation and personal expenses) and scholarships and grants available. For return on investment, the rankings used student retention rate (the percent of students who re-enrolled the following year) and the average starting salary of graduates.
Founded in 1866, UW-Platteville offers 41 majors in three colleges: the College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture; the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science; and the College of Liberal Arts and Education. The university offers two on-campus graduate programs. Online offerings include two undergraduate and five graduate programs. In addition, the university has branch campuses at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County and UW-Platteville Richland.
The university has two upcoming building projects that will further enhance educational experiences for its students. Science building Boebel Hall is set to undergo a $23.7 million renovation after this semester concludes, and a new $55 million engineering building, Sesquicentennial Hall, will break ground in the latter part of 2020.