University of Wisconsin - La Crosse College Portrait
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse1725 State Street La Crosse, WI 54601
608-785-8939
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
We are excited that you are considering the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as you look to continue your education. UW-La Crosse is a top-rated institution in the prestigious University of Wisconsin System.
We offer a wide range of both undergraduate and graduate academic programs and we invite you to visit our campus to see why students from across the United States and the world choose UW-La Crosse. If exceptional academic programs, an active social scene, a friendly community, and beautiful surroundings that can not be matched are important to you, make sure you take a close look at UW-La Crosse.
Living in the Eagles Community
At the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, you can surround yourself with academically talented students on a medium-sized campus and take advantage of opportunities usually found only at larger campuses.
We can help you select a major, locate a tutor, conduct research, find an internship, prepare for your career or graduate study, plus so much more. You will not be bored at UW-La Crosse. A busy arts and athletics scene combined with over 160 student organizations and involvement opportunities will keep you active. In addition, the La Crosse area is unique with its recreational and outdoor opportunities, beautiful surroundings, and entertainment. After visiting campus, you will easily see why so many students call the UW-La Crosse community “home
The Big Picture: How many students were on campus in Fall 2011?
More Information
| Total Students | 10,074 | |
|---|---|---|
Undergraduate Snapshot
| Total Undergraduate Students | 9,119 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Women | 5,244 | 58% |
| Men | 3,875 | 42% |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| American Indian / Alaskan Native | 33 | <1% |
| Asian | 229 | 3% |
| African American / Black | 68 | 1% |
| Hispanic | 204 | 2% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 5 | <1% |
| White | 8,030 | 88% |
| Two or More Races | 164 | 2% |
| International | 301 | 3% |
| Race/Ethnicity Not Reported | 85 | 1% |
| Where do UW-L undergraduates call home? | |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 82% |
| Other US States & Territories | 15% |
| Other Countries | 2% |
| Residency Unknown | <1% |
| How old are UW-L undergraduates? | |
| Average Age | 21 |
| Percent of Undergraduates Age 25 or Older | 5% |
New Student Applications (Fall 2011)
New Freshmen High School Background and Test Scores
Test(s) Required for Admission: SAT or ACT recommended
| Test Scores of Enrolled New Freshmen | ACT |
|---|---|
| Composite | 23 - 27 |
| Math | 23 - 27 |
| English | 22 - 27 |
50% of admitted students have test scores within the ranges listed, 25% have scores above, and 25% have scores below.
| High School Background of Enrolled New Freshmen | ||
|---|---|---|
| Percent in top 25% of High School Graduating Class | 70% | |
| Percent in top 50% of High School Graduating Class | 98% | |
| Percent of New Freshmen who submitted HS GPA | 79% | |
| Average High School GPA Data Not Available | ||
Sticker Price: How much does it cost on average?
Typical Undergraduate Costs for 2010-11 without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)
Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $17,429.00
Tuition and fees for UW-L are set by the UW System Board of Regents and the WI State Legislature and are usually updated for the following year in late summer.
Out-of-State & Other Costs
More Information
The cost to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.
How much would I pay?
Financial Aid: How much help is there to pay?
Scholarships & Grants
- 27% of 2010-11 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $5,709.00. Scholarships and grants are financial aid that does not need to be repaid and is sometimes referred to as gift aid.
Annual Need-Based Loans
- 43% of 2010-11 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $4,066.00. Loans need to be repaid. Typically, repayment starts once you are no longer enrolled full-time. Please refer to page 12 of the Funding Education Beyond High School guide on the US Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website for more information about Financial Need.
Percent of 2009 Full-time Beginning Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid
NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.
UW-L Classes & Instructors
| Classroom Environment | |
|---|---|
| Students per Faculty | 20 to 1 |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 30 students | 62% |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 50 students | 91% |
| Total Full-Time Instructional Faculty | 419 |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Female | 48% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Persons of Color | 15% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Have the Highest Academic Degree Offered in Their Field of Study | 76% |
More Information
Campus-based Housing
96% of new freshmen live in campus-based housing or residence halls.
36% of all undergraduates live on campus
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Campus Safety
Campus safety is of paramount importance at UW-L. We strive to provide a safe and comfortable community in which students and staff live, learn, and work. We have a full-time campus police service that works closely with area agencies to ensure a safe community. We also have campus services and resources such as blue light phones for emergency calls and a free Safe Ride bus for students that travels to many popular destinations throughout the La Crosse community. We invite you to view our campus and community crime statistics to understand that even though our statistics are low, we continuously work with our students to encourage personal and community safety measures.
Campus Crime Statistics
Carnegie Classification of Institutional Characteristics
The Carnegie Classification's were created "to reference the great diversity of colleges and universities in the United States, and ... enable [people] to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions." For information on the Carnegie Classifications system, please visit their website: http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/
- Basic Type
- Master's Colleges and Universities (larger programs)
- Size and Setting
- Medium four-year, primarily residential
- Enrollment Profile
- Very high undergraduate
- Undergraduate Profile
- Full-time four-year, more selective, lower transfer-in
- Undergraduate Instructional Program
- Balanced arts & sciences/professions, some graduate coexistence
- Graduate Instructional Program
- Postbaccalaureate with arts & sciences (education dominant)
NOTE: Institutional classifications based on the Carnegie 2005 edition.
Student Activities and Involvement at UW-L
A college education is a transforming experience that affects not only students' knowledge and intellectual skills, but contributes to significant changes in their personal and social development. Research indicates that activities outside the classroom as well as maturational processes can influence students' learning and development as much as what happens in their classes (Ewell, 1993; Light, 1992; Pascarella and Terenzini, 1991; Kuh, 1993). UW-L participated in the NSSE yearly from 1999 to 2004, and in 2006, 2008, and 2011. UW-L will continue participate every 2 to 3 years from this point forward.
Institutions participating in the VSA program measure student involvement on campus using one of four national surveys. Results from the one survey are reported for a common set of questions selected as part of VSA. Following are the selected results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The questions have been grouped together in categories that are known to contribute to student learning and development. The results reported below are based on the responses of seniors who participated in the survey.
Group Learning Experiences
- 98% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
- 53% of seniors tutored or taught other students
- 29% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports
Active Learning Experiences
- 91% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
- 20% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
- 53% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
- 71% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
- 22% of seniors participated in study abroad
- 99% of seniors made at least one class presentation last year
Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success
- 98% of seniors believe this institution provides support for student success
- 76% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
- 75% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
- 97% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations
Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff
- 63% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
- 87% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
- 97% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
- 69% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class
Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas
- 60% of seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else's point of view
- 95% of seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
- 36% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity
Student Satisfaction
- 89% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
- 95% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
- 91% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive
Evaluation of Experiences
Survey Administration Process
Survey Information
Majors and Degrees
| Degrees awarded at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse in 2010-11 | |
|---|---|
| Associate's | 4 |
| Bachelor's | 1,654 |
| Master's | 444 |
| Doctoral | 39 |
| Total | 2,141 |
| Areas of Study with the largest number of bachelor's degrees awarded in 2010-11 | |
|---|---|
| EDUCATION | 11% |
| Biology/Biological Sciences, General | 10% |
| Psychology, General | 8% |
| Marketing/Marketing Management, General | 6% |
| Finance, General | 5% |
| Links to degree programs at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse |
|---|
Associate'sBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral |
Student Success & Progress Rate
A 94% four-year success and progress rate means that 94% of students starting in Fall 2005 either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.
More Information
Counts for the Fall 2005 entering class shown in the graph above.
- 1,755 First-Time, Full-Time Students
- 381 Full-Time Transfer Students
Success & Progress Rate Table
Retention of Freshman Class
First-time students in Fall 2010 that returned for their second year: 85%
Student Learning at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.
The CLA measures complex skills students should develop and improve during their college career. These include critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving and written communication. The CLA uses two types of tasks to measure these. In Performance Tasks, students are presented with a question and several documents, e.g., letters, summaries of research. The students must evaluate the information in the documents and use it to answer questions or solve a problem. In Analytic Writing Tasks, students are presented with a topic and must develop or critique an argument or position on the topic.
Freshmen take the CLA during their first semester at college, and seniors take it during their last. Then, the scores of freshmen are compared with the scores of seniors. The scores of students at UW-L changed significantly between freshmen and senior years as shown below. In fact, the gains made by students UW-L were higher than gains made at 96% of other similar institutions. The specific scores for the Performance and Analytic Writing Tasks are presented below.
Learning Assessment Examples
Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes
Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
Results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment
The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication using a performance task and an analytic writing task. The scores from the tasks are reported separately below.
Test Administration Process
Test Information
Performance Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the performance task is above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1072
Senior Score: 1306
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1125
Senior Score: 1181
Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1084
Senior Score: 1263
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1125
Senior Score: 1181