Aerial view of the UWM campus.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee provides an affordable, world-class education to 23,000 students from 88 countries. Its 15 schools and colleges include Wisconsin’s only schools of architecture, freshwater sciences and public health. As one of the nation’s top research universities, UWM partners with leading companies in Wisconsin and beyond to advance knowledge, bring new discoveries to market and prepare students for work in a global economy. Seventy-four percent of our 198,000 alumni live and work in Wisconsin, further contributing to the state’s health, vibrancy and economic growth.

Students analyzing what they have captured on film.
Photography students Mikaila Dusenberry (left) and Rachel Lapow (right) analyze what they captured on film before beginning the printing process. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)

Academics

UWM offers 206 degree programs with classes taught by faculty members recognized worldwide as experts in their fields. It’s also home to Wisconsin’s largest online education program, with more than 900 classes and 45 fully online certificate and degree programs.

The university is home to the state’s largest collaboration of health sciences, nursing and public health programs through its Partners for Health initiative. It also boasts one of the world’s top film programs, the state’s largest school of education and Wisconsin’s only bachelor’s program in ASL/English interpretation. Other major programs include business, engineering and information studies. UWM also offers a range of programs for lifelong learners of all ages, such as certificates for professionals, class auditing opportunities for retirees and pre-college summer programs for students in grades K-12.

Facts & Figures

Founded1956
24,029students
206academic programs
1,633faculty and instructional staff
Students sitting near the fountain in the Ernest Spaights Plaza
The fountain in Ernest Spaights Plaza is a campus landmark and popular gathering place.
Students kayaking on the Milwaukee River.
Kayaking on the Milwaukee River is just one of the many outdoor activities our students enjoy.
Students playing string instruments
Most UWM classes have fewer than 30 students.

A Vibrant Campus

UWM is home to 15 NCAA Division 1 teams that share 150 conference championships and 65 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Five residence halls located in Milwaukee’s vibrant east side house 3,592 students.

UWM’s 259,769-square-foot Klotsche Center offers group exercise classes, intramural and club sports, adventure excursions through its Outdoor Pursuits program and more.

Located just blocks from Lake Michigan, UWM is home to the 11-acre Downer Woods and surrounded by more than one hundred miles of bike paths.

UWM has more than 290 student organizations that cover a range of topics and interests as well as a 43-person Student Association elected by and representing students.

Students enjoy hundreds of art, music and theater events each year. Along with student productions, UWM frequently hosts nationally and internationally known touring acts.

Research

As one of only two top-tier research universities recognized in Wisconsin by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, UWM plays a critical role in fueling the state’s economy through discovery and innovation.

A student, professor and postdoctoral researcher work together in a lab.
Professor Ching-Hong Yang (middle) and his business partner Daniel Burgin (not pictured) created a startup, T3 Bioscience, to market their compound, which effectively fights fire blight in fruit trees without antibiotics. Here, undergraduate John Srok (left) and postdoctoral fellow Xiaochen Yuan work with Yang in his lab. (UWM Photo/Elora Hennessey)

Groundbreaking Discoveries

UWM research focuses on addressing the big problems facing our world today. From sustainable energy advancements to health care initiatives and keeping the Great Lakes clean, our faculty work for the common good.

Student Involvement

Undergraduate students benefit from unique opportunities to work with faculty members on research projects in a wide range of disciplines, giving them practical experience that many other universities only offer at the graduate level. At the same time, graduate students from around the globe come here to study with internationally-recognized leaders in their field.

Community Partners

UWM partners with 3,000 businesses and nonprofits, offering students the chance to engage with a wide variety of organizations that are transforming our region. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has named UWM among the nation’s top universities for community engagement.

Standards of Excellence

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education first added UWM to its list of institutions with “highest research activity” in 2016. In 2018, only 131 of the more than 4,300 post-secondary institutions evaluated received this designation.

Entrepreneurship

The Lubar Entrepreneurship Center helps students in a wide range of majors develop the entrepreneurial skills needed to succeed in a competitive marketplace and to further innovation in our region. Its multidisciplinary approach pairs forward-thinking instruction with campus-wide competitions and internships where students learn by doing.

The center also hosts the region’s I-Corps site, which connects faculty members and graduate students from multiple universities with business mentors to explore bringing research discoveries to market. I-Corps is a national program supported by the National Science Foundation.

Budget & Economic Impact

UWM is an important contributor to the Wisconsin economy, with its impact estimated at $1.5 billion per year by the North Star Consulting Group. The university employs 7,356 people, including faculty, staff and student workers. In addition, 74 percent of UWM’s 198,000 graduates stay in Wisconsin, using their education, skills and experience to benefit the state.

2022-23 UWM Operating Budget

20%Financial aid passed directly to students$134 million
24%State appropriations$157 million
18%Other operating receipts$118 million
5%Federal aid, grants and contracts$35 million
4%Gift fund income$23 million
29%Student tuition$193 million
Total$659 million

Our Locations

Main Campus

Our 104-acre main campus on Milwaukee’s east side is just blocks from Lake Michigan and home to 11 of UWM’s 15 schools and colleges. Notable landmarks include the Kenwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex, which opened in 2015, and the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center and UWM Welcome Center, which opened in the same building in spring 2019.

Waukesha Campus

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Waukesha occupies 86 acres on the western edge of the City of Waukesha and serves students in their first two years of college. The former UW-Waukesha joined with UWM in 2018.

Washington County Campus

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Washington County sits on 87 acres in West Bend and is surrounded by the beautiful Kettle Moraine State Forest. The former UW-Washington County became part of UWM in 2018.

Harbor Campus

The UWM School of Freshwater Sciences occupies more than 200,000 square feet on the Milwaukee Harbor. It’s home to the UWM Center for Water Policy, Great Lakes Genomics Center and the only year-round research vessel operating on the Great Lakes.

Downtown Campus

The Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health is housed in a 55,000-square-foot building on the former Pabst Brewery site in downtown Milwaukee. A $10 million donation from philanthropist Joseph Zilber helped launch the school, which opened in 2012.

Innovation Campus

Innovation Campus in Wauwatosa brings academic researchers together with medical and business organizations to advance science for application and commercial uses. Its 25,000-square-foot Innovation Accelerator building includes labs, meeting rooms and work space.

Map showing location of UWM campuses