Students

Total enrollment: 23,104 students

  • 19,217 undergraduate students 
  • 3,887 graduate students 
  • 3,213 students who are fully online 
  • Students from 72 Wisconsin counties and 50 states 
  • 85% Wisconsin residents 
  • 43% of undergraduates are first-generation college students 
  • 1,244 veterans and military-related students enrolled, more than any other Wisconsin university 

Alumni

215,751 alumni

  • More than 80% of graduates in the last decade live and work in Wisconsin

Academics

  • 106 bachelor’s programs
  • 102 graduate programs
  • 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio

Largest and top-rated online education program in Wisconsin

  • 397 online courses 
  • 53 fully online degree and certificate programs 

Meeting Workforce Needs

  • 88% of UWM graduates in 2023-24 earned degrees in Health and Human Services, Business, STEM and Computer Science
  • The average salary of a UWM graduate is $64,546 (Spring 2023 survey)
  • Personal return on investment of a UWM bachelor’s degree is estimated to be $1.28 million, based on 30 years of median earnings. (Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, 2025)
  • 97% of UWM Graduates are working or continuing their education within six months of earning their degree
  • UWM has produced 5,300 graduates annually in the last decade

Community Engagement

  • Earned the prestigious Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement in 2015 and again in 2020
  • More than 2,139 service-learning, community-based research and volunteer placements leading to 42,614 hours of service-learning completed by students annually
  • Nearly 2,575 students enrolled in 59 service-learning courses 
  • UWM has 3,700 community partnerships, amplifying its impact well beyond the classroom

Research

  • Ranked among the nation’s top 187 research universities, a category known as R1, by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education
  • $66.3 million in research expenditures in fiscal year 2024
  • More than 1,000+ undergraduate research opportunities available
  • UWM holds 215 patents developed with its researchers
  • 47 active license and option agreements through the UWM Research Foundation
  • Over 41 startup businesses have formed from UWM innovations

Only at UWM

  • Wisconsin’s only schools of architecture, freshwater sciences and public health
  • The state’s largest nursing program
  • A nationally recognized Center of Excellence for actuarial science (Society of Actuaries)
  • A leader in trauma-informed care, crime analysis, child and family welfare, and school social work
  • A film program ranked among the top 50 in the world (Variety Magazine)
  • Ranked 32nd nationally in online bachelor’s programs by U.S. News & World Report

Only in Milwaukee

  • Learn, live and work in the metro area ranked #5 “Cities on the Rise” (LinkedIn)
  • Launch your career in the region ranked #2 for new college graduates seeking employment (ADP Research)