Founded in 1909, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. is a Public college. Located in Wisconsin, which is a city setting in Wisconsin, the campus itself is Urban. The campus is home to 9,751 full time undergraduate students, and 886 full time graduate students.
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Academic calendar runs on a Semester basis. In the school year the student to faculty ratio was 19:1. There are 486 full time instructional teachers. Degrees awarded at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse include: Bachelor's Degree, Masters Degree, Post-master's certificate, Doctor's degree.
Quick Facts
Acceptance Rate
74%
Application Deadline
Application Fee
50
SAT Range
ACT Range
23-27
Admissions at UW-L are considered Selective, with ,116% of all applicants being admitted.
In the school year, of the students who applied to the school, only 32 of those who were admitted eventually ended up enrolling.
98% of incoming freshmen are in the top half of their high school class. 70% were in the top quarter, and 24% were in the top tenth. You can apply online.
STUDENT LIFE Reviews
We asked, and students answered these important questions about student life at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
2%
“We”re apathetic”
38%
“We know about current events and vote”
57%
“We participate and encourage others to get involved”
2%
“There”s nothing we won”t protest”
4%
“We save it for the classroom”
20%
“Sometimes, but not often”
59%
“There”s usually intelligent conversation to be found”
17%
“All the time, including weekends”
0%
“I”m always terrified”
6%
“I only go out in groups”
38%
“I usually let someone know where I”m going”
56%
“I feel extremely safe”
54%
“We don”t play sports”
0%
“We play recreationally”
27%
“We bought the gear”
19%
“We live for the big game”
17%
“It”s not really our thing”
23%
“Occasinally we gallery crawl”
53%
“There are a variety of opportunities”
6%
“We”re a very artistic group”
1%
“Haven”t met them”
0%
“Available in class”
67%
“They keep regular office hours”
32%
“They”re always available”
6%
“No greek life, but other groups to join”
64%
“There is some involvement, but not a lot”
30%
“Plenty of people join a sorority or fraternity”
0%
“It”s everything. If you”re not greek, you”re a geek”
1%
“We”re not into drinking at all”
9%
“Maybe a little, but it”s not a big thing”
35%
“We only party on weekends”
56%
“There”s some drinking happening every night”
6%
“Never, we”re here to learn”
57%
“There might be people who do”
33%
“People are known to partake on weekends”
4%
“There”s a huge drug scene”
2%
“We”re apathetic”
38%
“We know about current events and vote”
57%
“We participate and encourage others to get involved”
2%
“There”s nothing we won”t protest”
4%
“We save it for the classroom”
20%
“Sometimes, but not often”
59%
“There”s usually intelligent conversation to be found”
17%
“All the time, including weekends”
0%
“I”m always terrified”
6%
“I only go out in groups”
38%
“I usually let someone know where I”m going”
56%
“I feel extremely safe”
54%
“We don”t play sports”
0%
“We play recreationally”
27%
“We bought the gear”
19%
“We live for the big game”
17%
“It”s not really our thing”
23%
“Occasinally we gallery crawl”
53%
“There are a variety of opportunities”
6%
“We”re a very artistic group”
1%
“Haven”t met them”
0%
“Available in class”
67%
“They keep regular office hours”
32%
“They”re always available”
6%
“No greek life, but other groups to join”
64%
“There is some involvement, but not a lot”
30%
“Plenty of people join a sorority or fraternity”
0%
“It”s everything. If you”re not greek, you”re a geek”
214 Students rated on-campus housing 3.6 stars. 16 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate off-campus housing?
171 Students rated off-campus housing 3.7 stars. 0 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate campus food?
219 Students rated campus food 3 stars. 6 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate campus facilities?
227 Students rated campus facilities 4.2 stars. 42 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate class size?
227 Students rated class size 4.4 stars. 53 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate school activities?
227 Students rated school activities 4.4 stars. 51 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate local services?
227 Students rated local services 4 stars. 41 % gave the school a 5.0.
How would you rate academics?
227 Students rated academics 4.3 stars. 52 % gave the school a 5.0.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse REVIEWS
What's your overall opinion of University of Wisconsin-La Crosse?
108 Students rated University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Haven
Prospective04/06/2025
What attracts me to La Crosse is the campus and I still get to be close to my family. The campus is surrounded by beautiful nature that I hope to explore with my time there. Also the city is one I hope to find some favorite locations in. Also, I still get to be close to my family which is very important to me since my family is a big part of my life.
Serena
03/24/2025
It's a big, clean school with lots of extracurriculars and groups to join. Lots of artistic expression can be found while visiting. The dorms were a little smaller than expected for such a big campus. The food was okay; the tour guide said they don't eat there, and go to nearby places for lunch. Good thing there are lots of options for food and other shopping in town!
Myah
11/16/2024
La Crosse is an amazing campus that strives for excellence, participation, and support. The academic integrities this campus teaches helps students strive for greatness throughout college and beyond. The variety of courses gives students the opportunities to learn what they are passionate in!
Mercedes
09/15/2024
It is a solid school. Communal Facilities are very nice and kept up to date. I broke my foot and some of the older buildings aren't very handicap accessible. But for the most part the elevators and other buildings provided help. I love the size and class size. All of my professors have been excellent and extremely helpful.
Nathan
01/17/2024
I Love UW- La Crosse, I feel that I am important on campus and set up to succeed . There are so many resources on campus that I am able to use and it is a relief that I do not have to pay for those resources either. And for the most part, the professors are very accessible and respond quickly and have a lot of office hours that I am able to go to if I need help on an assignment or just a question about what we are currently doing in class.
Anna
12/28/2023
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a place I am proud to call home. During my time here I have had amazing experiences and as I get closer to graduation I can confidently say I have learned a lot during my time at this school. I would recommend it to anyone.
Kerry
12/11/2023
When I came to tour the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, my first thought was that the location is beautiful. You can see the bluffs when you’re walking from building to building. While the aesthetics of a campus shouldn’t be the deciding factor, it does motivate me to go to class and walk around. The reason I chose to attend here is because of the physician assistant graduate program. I believe that the academics surpass sufficient here. One of my biggest concerns when I was doing college planning during my senior year of high school was the class sizes and feeling insignificant. I grew up going to the same rural high school my entire life. My high school graduating class had roughly 60 students. So, the idea of going from a high school with a total of a few hundred students to a university with 10,000 students was very daunting. Nonetheless, I put on a brave face and decided I wouldn’t let that stop me. My nerves were relieved when I learned that the student-faculty ratio is 19:1, meaning that the class sizes were not that far off from what I already had experienced my whole life. However, something that I do not like here is the food. The on-campus dining options include the dining hall and a handful of restaurants in the student union (which aren’t open on the weekend!) Regardless, I’ve never gone hungry here. Prior to moving in, I had some concerns about the alcohol consumption around me. There’s a stigma around college students and their relationship with underage drinking habits. While a lot of students do drink alcohol here, I’ve never had problems with saying no. You won’t be judged for not drinking and you will still be able to make friends! For example, I’ve made friends by joining clubs and organizations, which there are plenty of here! In fact, UWL has over 200 student organizations. If somehow you don’t find something that you want to join, you can form your own club. Some other highlights of this school include the resources. There are plenty of offices here that can help you, such as the ACCESS center, Center for Transformative Justice, It Makes Cent$, the scholarship resource center, and countless others. I could not imagine attending a different college!
Brenna
06/28/2023
It's not the school that I though it was but really made it feel like home with the great connections that I made. You can access almost anything if you're down for 15-20min walk. Definetly more of a party scene but that all depends on who you choose to befriend. Overall it's a great school with a little for everyone. Biggest downside is the lack of diversity in the student body but there are lots of cultural celebrations held in the Union and clubs for all types of people.
Andrew
06/27/2023
I am a freshman (Class of 2027), so I haven't gotten the entire Lax experience. But I have visited more than twice, and the school seemed pretty solid from what I witnessed. The faculty seems very dedicated to the success of the students, and I feel like I can reach out when I need to. They offer a lot of majors, which is good for someone like me, who change their major like mood swings. Food in the student union is okay, not a whole lot of options but the bagel store is nice. I haven't seen the dining center yet, but I am sure it's better than the union. You can definitely stay well fed with the cheapest meal plan; I mean who really needs 19 meals a week. Pretty good bang for your buck. That's pretty much all I have to say for now.
Carlee
06/27/2023
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a great school! I believe it has just the right mixture of academics and recreational activities. When one attends La Crosse they also get the best of both worlds, if one goes one way away from campus one find themselves in the small LaCrosse downtown, and if headed the other way one can find themselves in the gorgeous bluffs that look out over the city. UW-LaCrosse has a lot of clubs and extra curricula's that one could join including intramural sports, academic clubs, and leisure clubs. There is something for everyone at UW-LaCrosse!
Karli
06/26/2023
Everybody is very helpful and welcoming, and it is a nice environment all around. The admissions process was smooth and simple with a lot of people to ask questions. The campus is gorgeous and close to a lot of restaurants and shopping areas, which was a large part of why I chose to attend. It is in the middle of a very naturalistic yet exciting town with plenty of activities on and off campus. There isn't as much diversity as you might imagine considering how active our diversity and inclusion program is, but it does make us feel very welcomed, heard, and appreciated. Through campus events I was able to join a large group of friends rather quickly and have come to love the environment even more than when I was originally visiting and thought it was so incredible.
Elizabeth
06/24/2023
The infamous college experience is what a majority of students look for in a college. At UWL, every student is able to say that they were able to achieve this. This university offers plenty of opportunities for its students to join clubs and social events, making their transition to college a lot smoother. They also provide tutoring and academic advising to help their student thrive in and outside of the classroom. I would highly recommend UWL to anyone!
Mckenna
02/22/2023
I really enjoy the atmosphere I am surrounded by. I always know there are resources to seek more know matter what it is. If I have a concern I know there are people to contact all the time that will do their best to fix it. The academics are difficult, but with the right professor you are capable of any classes. I have learned that not all professors are the same but they all want students to succeed and are most likely there to help you know matter how small or big your question or concerns are. The academics and atmosphere/students/professors are truly what makes this campus awesome.
Ava
02/13/2023
When I think of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, I think of the beauty of the campus. I love the physical presentation of the school as well as the students in it. I love how nice everyone is on campus, there's always someone saying hello or asking about my day as I walk by.
Nicholas
01/14/2022
The campus itself is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The entire campus has no public roads running through it and is also walking space. The campus is full of "green space" which helps create a more "relaxed" feeling on campus. Every class is taught by the professor, not by T.A.'s. The professors are super easy to get ahold of, and respond in a reasonable amount of time. While the on-campus food is slightly disappointing, the dorms were a fun place to be last year despite COVID.
The fall 2020 acceptance rate for University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is 74%. That means, out of _____ applications received in 2020, _____ students were offered admission.
What should every freshman at your school know before they start?
The advice I will give myself will be that college isn't what the teacher in highschool tell you and that the professor in college are more lenient. Do your homework even though the professor doesn't assign it and study for exams. Take advantage of the services the college provides for the students, also try to make as many new friends along the way so that later on you can ask them for help when needed.
What do you consider the worst thing about your school? Why?
The worst aspect of UW-La Crosse are the program changes. The head departments have recently mandated that students take certain classes towards their major, and then they change the requirements for those classes. Students often take classes that later on do not count toward their major, so they have to pay tuition and stay for extra semesters to make up for those classes that were lost.
What kind of person should not attend this school?
One who shouln't attend UW La Crosse would be somone who doesn't like to get involved in extra curricular activities. Also, students are generally very active and fit on campus so if working out or recreational activities are not enjoyable to you, you may want to consider a different campus. UW La Crosse is a very highly ranked in academics so if you are not willing to work hard and keep up with school work to get a quality education then do not come to UWL. And finally, do not come here in search of a large campus.
The best thing about my school is the textbook rental system. We pay to rent our textbooks for the semester, return them at the end, and our bookstore will buy back any other materials you had to buy additionally. This rental system is substantially cheaper than buying textbooks nowadays, plus you do not have to worry about what to do with all your old textbooks after the class ends!
I think this school is great for anyone. UW La Crosse has a very friendly environment and the professors are ready to help whenever needed. If you want to be successful in college I believe this school is the one you should attend. There are tons of activities for one to get involved and be an active student here on campus.
Here's your chance: Say anything about your college!
My school is small and in a beauiful city. It only takes ten minutes to walk across campus, which is wonderful in the winter. Most people on campus are happy and will smile at you as you walk to class.
What's the most frustrating thing about your school?
I am a new student to this school as a junior, so the most frustrating part is feeling overwhelmed with trying to figure out where to find information about anything and everything.
UW-La Crosse is best known for it's active campus. No matter the weather there are always people running or exercising. Once the snow melts and the temperature raises, everyone on campus is outside. People are always playing games like frisbee or football. We are also active in our thoughts and emotions. If someone sees something on campus that they believe reflects our campus poorly, they feel comfortable doing something to stop it. At UW-La Crosse we do not believe in letting live pass you by, we are active and jump right into life.
UW-L is a nice school in a really scenic area of Wisconsin. It's relatively small compared with other UW-campuses such as Madison, Whitewater, or Eau Claire, but students have smaller class sizes are more than likely going to get to know their professors personally. Top majors here are biology, pre-physical therapy (pre-anything medical, really), and teaching, although there are plenty of other majors personally. School spirit is definitely lacking-- although pretty much all students are athletic (i.e. club sports, itramurals, working out at the REC), being a Division III school, competitive athletics are not a big deal here. For nature lovers, La Crosse has plenty of trees, lots of trails and parks, and of course, the bluffs. Downtown La Crosse has lots to see and do-- the Rivoli Theatre plays movies at a very low cost, the Pearl ice cream shop is not to be missed, and the Root Note coffee shop is a great place to listen to jazz or just be a college hipster in general.
Although I am not the most reliable source, as I am not a member of any kind of sorority, Greek life is generally regarded as unimportant at UW La Crosse. I'm not even sure how many social sororities or fraternities there are, but I am pretty certain it's one, maybe two each. I do know a number of people who've "gone Greek", but it's a pretty small portion of the students on campus. It does seem like those who choose to join sororities/fraternities have fun, but again, if you're looking for a campus with super involved Greek life, La Crosse isn't it.
What are the most popular student activities/groups?
Popular student groups include Student Association (the student governance organization), various REC sport activities (intramurals, the rock climbing wall, working out, ZUMBA, yoga, etc.), CRU (campus crusade for Christ), College Democrats & College Republicans, Environmental Council, Newmann Center (for Catholic Students), and RHAC (the Residence hall council).
All students must apply yearly for financial aid. This process starts with the FAFSA.
Though financial aid deadlines vary by school, it is a good idea to apply as soon as possible. For the upcoming school year, you can apply as early as October 1 for the FAFSA. Additional school aid will be dependent on the FAFSA results.
83% of students attending University of Wisconsin-La Crosse receive some sort of financial aid.
21% were awarded federal grants.57%received federal loans. Many students do also need to apply for additional private student loans.
