College Viability Inspection Report

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Wisconsin · Public

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a public institution in Wisconsin, enrolling 8,644 students as of 2024. It graduates 43% of students in four years, returns 82% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $15,151 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 4 are flagged: Graduation, Equity Gap, Enrollment, and Price vs. Outcomes. This report benchmarks University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

Look Beyond the Brochure. Then Ask Your College.

Changing the Balance of Power from Colleges to Students and Families.

Every campus tour is a sales pitch. Colleges will show you the beautiful quad and the smiling Dean — not what doesn't flatter them. The right questions can reveal information that significantly impacts your experience.
College Viability
Data Summary

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate43.0%+16.2%54th
Six-Year Graduation Rate65.0%-3.0%68th
Full-Time Retention Rate82.0%0.0%66th
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate56.5%-2.6%66th
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap11.8pp+35.7%62nd
Pell Share of Cohort23.6%+1.1%21st

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio1.02×+2.0%34th
Total FTE Enrollment8,644-12.8%87th
Endowment Value$76.7M+50.3%59th
Net Assets (End of Year)$180.0M+12.3%65th

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %41.6%+14.9%79th
Student Support Spending %17.4%+11.9%68th
Administrative Spending %10.0%-12.4%15th
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio5.92×+30.2%93rd
Average Net Price$15,151+6.1%33rd
Net Price: $0-30K Income$10,270+7.6%30th
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$10,968+2.9%32nd
Net Price: $48-75K Income$12,766-13.4%30th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$18,278-2.9%38th
Net Price: $110K+ Income$20,778+5.0%31st

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's retention rate fell below 80% in 1 of 5 reported years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10 percentage points in 3 of 5 eligible years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's ratio fell below 1.0 in 2 of 5 reported years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's total enrollment fell from 9,911 to 8,644 students between 2020 and 2024 (-12.8%) — a decline of 5% or more.
Financial HealthTriggered
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's endowment is $76.7M and grew +50.3% between 2020 and 2024 — clearing both the $50 million size threshold and the 15% growth threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
High Cost, Low Completion
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire costs less than the national median AND graduates students at above-median rates — neither condition for this flag is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire spends $5.92 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin in 2024 — at or above the national median of $2.75 in every reported year.
Value for MoneyCleared
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Both conditions were met: University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's net price rose while the 6-year graduation rate declined between 2020 and 2024 — a prompt to ask whether tuition increases are translating into stronger student outcomes.
Value for MoneyTriggered