ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS

What the data flags at Wisconsin

Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER-100%

3-year cohort default rate

3-year cohort default rate at University of Wisconsin-Madison fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.2% → 0.0%).

PEER OUTLIER · TRENDING BETTER+34%

Public bachelor's-predominant peer

10-year earnings at University of Wisconsin-Madison are 34% above the public bachelor's-predominant peer median ($73.8k vs $55.2k).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER+10%

Undergraduate enrollment

Undergraduate enrollment at University of Wisconsin-Madison rose 10% between 2021 and 2024 (33.5k → 36.9k).

SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT

The numbers, vs. Wisconsin

Each tile compares this institution to the Wisconsin median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.

MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10Y

$73,792+20% · 6→10y

Wisconsin median $46,297

MEDIAN EARNINGS · 6Y

$61,275

Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry

COMPLETION · 150%

89.3%+22% · '97→'24

Wisconsin median 58.4%

MEDIAN FEDERAL DEBT

$18,058+114% · '97→'20

At program completion

UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT

35,665+39% · '96→'24

latest IPEDS

RETENTION

94.5%+5% · '04→'24

first-time, full-time

ADMISSION RATE

43.4%-40% · '01→'24

latest cohort

IN-STATE TUITION

$11,205+206% · '00→'24

out-of-state $40,603

SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS

How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry

Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).

ALL FEDERALLY AIDED STUDENTS · TAX-RECORD EARNINGSVINTAGE 2025-05

Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →

SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS

What loans cost relative to earnings

Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.

Institution-wide

3.3%

0%8% · GE20%+

Median federal debt $18,058 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $73,792 (10y after entry).

SECTION 04 · LONG ARC

Ten-plus year arc

Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.

UNDERGRAD · 1996–202436,902

Undergraduate enrollment.IPEDS EF

COMPLETION 150% · 1997–202489.5%

150%-time completion rate.IPEDS GR

MEDIAN DEBT · 1997–2020$20,484

Median federal student debt at exit.SCORECARD

COMPLETION · 150% · 1997→2024+22%

Wisconsin · completion · 150% rose

73.3% → 89.5%

COMPLETION · 100% · 1997→2024+127%

Wisconsin · completion · 100% rose

33.1% → 75.2%

UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT · 1996→2024+39%

Wisconsin · undergrad enrollment rose

26,644 → 36,902

IN-STATE TUITION · 2000→2024+206%

Wisconsin · in-state tuition rose

$3,788 → $11,603

OUT-OF-STATE TUITION · 2000→2024+197%

Wisconsin · out-of-state tuition rose

$14,186 → $42,103

MEDIAN DEBT · 1997→2020+114%

Wisconsin · median debt rose

$9,573 → $20,484

COHORT DEFAULT RATE · 2011→2024-70%

Wisconsin · cohort default rate fell

1.4% → 0.0%

PELL SHARE · 2008→2024+32%

Wisconsin · pell share rose

12.1% → 15.9%

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_10YR · 2007→2020+39%

Wisconsin · earnings_median_10yr rose

$52,900 → $73,792

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_8YR · 2005→2020+48%

Wisconsin · earnings_median_8yr rose

$47,300 → $69,868

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_6YR · 2003→2020+49%

Wisconsin · earnings_median_6yr rose

$41,200 → $61,275

SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS

Ranked by 5-year earnings

Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.

Showing top 24 of 100 ranked programs.381 TOTAL PROGRAMS

SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY

100 programs with earnings, grouped

Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.

COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11

Computer and Information Sciences, General.Bachelor's Degree$118,588668 grads

EDUCATION · CIP 13

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods.Bachelor's Degree$51,263105 grads Educational Administration and Supervision.Master's Degree$69,44185 grads Special Education and Teaching.Bachelor's Degree$55,06351 grads Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.Bachelor's Degree$46,33830 grads Curriculum and Instruction.Doctoral Degree$75,61118 grads

ENGINEERING · CIP 14

FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION

Estimate the financial outcome at Wisconsin

Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.

Program

Family income

Discount rate · 5.0%

Horizon · 40 years

Apply Dale-Krueger selection shrinkage

Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.

NET PRESENT VALUE

$1,729,923

Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%

BREAKEVEN

Year 4

First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero

Cost per year: $9,613
HS-only baseline · WI: $37,100
Years to complete: 4
CIP family: 11

Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.

SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS

Same sector and degree mix in Wisconsin

Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.

MILWAUKEE$55.0k

Wisconsin

3-year cohort default rate

Public bachelor's-predominant peer

Undergraduate enrollment

Institution-wide

Wisconsin · completion · 150% rose

Wisconsin · completion · 100% rose

Wisconsin · undergrad enrollment rose

Wisconsin · in-state tuition rose

Wisconsin · out-of-state tuition rose

Wisconsin · median debt rose

Wisconsin · cohort default rate fell

Wisconsin · pell share rose

Wisconsin · earnings_median_10yr rose

Wisconsin · earnings_median_8yr rose

Wisconsin · earnings_median_6yr rose

COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11

EDUCATION · CIP 13

ENGINEERING · CIP 14

FOREIGN LANGUAGES · CIP 16

FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES · CIP 19

LEGAL PROFESSIONS · CIP 22

ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23

LIBRARY SCIENCE · CIP 25

BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26

MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS · CIP 27

MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES · CIP 30

PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31

PHILOSOPHY & RELIGIOUS STUDIES · CIP 38

PHYSICAL SCIENCES · CIP 40

PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44

SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45

VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50

HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51

BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52

HISTORY · CIP 54

AGRICULTURE · CIP 01

NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03

AREA, ETHNIC & CULTURAL STUDIES · CIP 05

COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09

UW-Milwaukee

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

“Wisconsin graduates earn $X” — not “Wisconsin makes you earn $X”