Chippewa Valley Times

UW-Eau Claire is one of only five public universities in Wisconsin listed, with UW-Madison the highest among them, and is one of only 12 schools total for Wisconsin and Minnesota. Among all public institutions in the country to make the cut for 2025, UW-Eau Claire is ranked 115th.

Chancellor James Schmidt expressed his satisfaction with the ranking but noted that it was not unexpected given the university's consistent performance in national rankings. He highlighted that this particular ranking is significant due to its focus on student outcomes.

"The Wall Street Journal surveys our current students and recent alumni to get at the heart of what makes their UW-Eau Claire experience both valuable and successful," Schmidt said, emphasizing that 70% of this ranking scale is based on tangible value-added outcomes such as salary impact, years to pay off net cost, and graduation rates.

"We know that our students are investing in our tradition of excellence and a four-year degree that will quickly pay off for them in fundamental ways," Schmidt added. “This news helps solidify that payoff.”

Survey results for 2025 show that UW-Eau Claire scored especially well in several areas:

- **Salary impact**: The extent to which a college boosts its graduates’ salaries beyond what they would be expected to earn regardless of which college they attended. UWEC was determined to have an average annual salary boost of $27,455 for new graduates.

- **Learning facilities**: Student satisfaction with the college’s learning-related facilities, based on student surveys. Access to state-of-the-art facilities, equipment, and instrumentation across disciplines in all four colleges gives UWEC students top-notch career preparation.

- **Character score**: The extent to which students feel the college has developed character strengths that will help them make meaningful contributions to society, including moral courage, hopefulness, resilience, wisdom, and a sense of justice.

Billy Felz, vice chancellor for enrollment management at UW-Eau Claire, stated that the survey results demonstrate the value Blugolds see in their investment.

"The Wall Street Journal’s ranking is another indicator that UW-Eau Claire is not only a fantastic choice for students but also a brilliant investment," Felz said. "Blugolds receive an affordable degree that has the power to open doors to amazing opportunities with solid earning potential while incurring minimal student debt."

Dr. Michael Carney, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at UW-Eau Claire, emphasized how this ranking aligns with the university's mission to serve the public good.

“The WSJ rankings indicate that our students appreciate the depth and breadth of their UW-Eau Claire education—an education that instills knowledge and skills for successful professional careers along with a commitment to making positive societal contributions,” Carney said.

In one of the largest-ever independent surveys of verified college students in the U.S., around 110,000 undergraduates and recent undergraduate alumni were anonymously surveyed by College Pulse in cooperation with The Wall Street Journal and Statista.