UW-Eau Claire recognized in Wall Street Journal ranking

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has been nationally recognized for its emphasis on graduating students and the added value the university experience brings to a Blugold degree.

UW-Eau Claire is the top-rated public regional university in Wisconsin and Minnesota in the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2024 Best Colleges in the U.S. ranking that rates the top 400 universities in the country based on student outcomes, learning environment and diversity.

UW-Eau Claire was 328th in the rankings, the second-highest ranked public school in Wisconsin behind only UW-Madison. UW-Eau Claire is the third-highest ranked university among all public schools in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University were the top three schools in the ranking.

Billy Felz, vice chancellor for enrollment management

“Students can have it all when they attend UW-Eau Claire,” says Billy Felz, UW-Eau Claire vice chancellor for enrollment management. “They are going to have outstanding opportunities both in and out of the classroom and regardless of their major, leave with skills and experiences that are in demand with employers.”

In the last 10 years, UW-Eau Claire has seen the percentage of students graduating in four years steadily climb from less than 30% to about 45% today. The average time to complete a degree is 4.3 years, Felz says.

“Students still are able to complete double majors, pursue undergraduate research, explore the world through study abroad and gain valuable insights through internships,” Felz says. “And when our students leave with their Blugold degree, their starting salaries are almost $10,000 higher than the state average starting salary.”

In the WSJ/College Pulse rankings, value added for universities was calculated by estimating how well students would do regardless of which college they attended. Universities then were rewarded for student success over and above that estimate, and the scores were combined with graduation rates and graduate salaries.

The Wall Street Journal story says, “For students, we believe this ranking will help them identify which colleges will do the most to help them graduate and make more money.”