Let’s calmly read together what University of Wisconsin-Green Bay says about itself to the United States federal government. Not to tell you whether it is “the right one”—no article can decide that—but so that you know it well enough to thoughtfully incorporate it into your family’s plan.
What kind of school it is, and what that means for your child
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a four-year public university located in the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, within Brown County and its metropolitan area. That does not mean the campus is right downtown, so if your child plans to live at home, I recommend something very specific: drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time when your child’s classes would take place. The time shown on the map is almost never the actual time.
The federal system classifies it as a master’s university with medium-sized, four-year, primarily residential programs: at the time of that measurement, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 degree-seeking undergraduate students lived in institution-controlled housing. It also appears among the institutions that receive many transfer students. If your child plans to come here after studying at another school, this tells you something important: your child would not be the only one. But it does not tell you how many credits the university will accept or which ones will be lost in the transition. Ask for that in writing before enrolling.
The highest level the institution reports offering is the doctorate, and it also reports graduate offerings. But this is a general institutional fact: it does not tell you whether your child’s specific major is available here or whether it connects undergraduate and graduate study. That must be verified program by program, not by the university’s name.
One point worth stating clearly: University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has none of these three special designations—it is not a historically Black university, a tribal university, or a land-grant institution. These are three separate answers with different histories, and of the 3,012 universities in this national directory, 138 do have at least one of them. The fact that this university does not have one does not tell you which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask directly which cultural centers and student organizations exist today, and speak with someone who already studies there.
The size of the place and who else is there
Picture the campus not as a building, but as a small city within another city: 10,326 students enrolled in the official fall count. It is a large school—the government places it in the band between 10,000 and 19,999—and compared with similar schools of the same type, its size is among the most common: neither one of the giants nor one of the small schools.
Of that total, 9,853 are undergraduates and only 473 are graduate students. Put simply, this is primarily an undergraduate school, not a place centered on master’s or doctoral programs.
Now, something that does matter for your child’s daily life: there are many part-time students. The enrollment number does not tell you how many people are on campus at the same time or what times courses are offered. Before assuming that your child can arrange a convenient schedule, ask directly when classes for the major of interest are offered.
And who will share the classroom with your child? Out of every 100 undergraduate students, 61 are women, 17 are between 25 and 64 years old—meaning this is not only a campus of recent high school graduates—and 91 out of every 100 first-time students came from Wisconsin itself. In simple terms, it is a predominantly local school.
Regarding Latino students, this should be stated directly: 9 out of every 100 undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with similar schools of its type, the school ranks below the comparison-group midpoint. This does not make the school bad, just as having many Latino students would not make another school good. It is simply information about who is enrolled today. If your child will be among the few, the task is specific: during the visit, ask which student group, cultural center, or person in the office speaks Spanish. And remember that this number is for the entire school; your child’s specific major may look different.
How the academic year works, and how flexible it is
The calendar here is organized by semesters: two long periods of about 15 weeks each. Fixed dates, the same for everyone.
There is something extremely valuable for a family whose child already has earned credits: the university stated that it accepts credit from AP exams and also what the government calls credit for life experience—independent study, work experience, licenses, prior certifications, and military opportunities. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit and accepts credit for military training.
But here is the hard truth that I do not want to soften: saying that the university accepts AP does not mean it awards credit for every exam or score. It does not say how many points are required or whether those credits count toward your child’s specific major. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for what people study here: between July of 2022 and June of 2023, the school awarded 1,280 bachelor’s degrees across 22 fields of study. The largest was business and management, with 22 out of every 100 degrees—no other field surpassed it, but it does not account for the bulk of them either. The offerings are broad, without a single major dominating everything.
One number you should write down: the ratio of students to instructional staff, both measured as full-time equivalents, is 23 to 1. Compared with similar schools, it ranks in the highest quartile: three out of every four similar schools reported an equal or lower ratio. It is a high aggregate ratio. But be careful: this is not class size. It does not tell you how many students are in your child’s first-year class. If that matters to you, ask about it directly and separately.
The academic pathways the school says it has
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay reports these structured pathways: study abroad, preparation for teacher certification below the postsecondary level, the opportunity to complete preparation in certain teaching specialization areas at the institution itself, and state approval of its program for initial teacher certification. If your child’s major points toward teaching or studying outside the country, these are specific questions that you now know you can ask.
Getting in: how selective it is and what it requires
Here comes one of the parts that creates the most anxiety in any household, so let’s proceed calmly and use the exact numbers.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay does not have open admission: it reviews specific components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marked three as required: the high school transcript, the high school GPA, and the English proficiency exam for applicants to whom it applies. If your child studied outside the United States or attended high school in Spanish, ask now whether that exam applies and what would exempt your child from it. It is one of those things families discover late, when there is no longer enough time to resolve it comfortably.
Other components are not required, but they are considered if submitted: completion of the college-preparatory course requirements, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, a portfolio or competency exam, and work experience. The published undergraduate application fee is $0—worth mentioning because at many other schools that fee does weigh on the application budget.
Now for the figure people look for first: in the 2023 cycle, there were 6,373 first-time applicants, and 5,598 received an offer of admission. That is 88 out of every 100. It is a school that does admit students, ranking slightly above the comparison-group midpoint for accessibility compared with similar schools. Even so, 775 applicants did not receive an offer. Admission is likely, but not automatic: submitting a complete application on time remains essential.
Here is a truth worth sitting down to consider: out of every 100 admitted students, only 22 enrolled. The remaining 78 had a place here and did not take it. Receiving the letter is not the same as deciding to attend. And do not read this as a mark against the school—the federal record does not say why each person made that choice. What I can tell you is this: what others decided does not predict what the university will offer you. Wait for your letter showing the net price, which is what the year will really cost you, before deciding whether this school stays on your list.
Regarding exams: the SAT and ACT are not required here. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains valid just the same. Among those who submitted the ACT, half scored 21 or higher. No SAT ranges are reported. There is also another Wonderlic- or WISC-type exam that is optional but considered if submitted. This report provides no deadline or minimum score: confirm that directly with the admissions office, and while you are at it, ask whether the score is considered for scholarships.
And regarding transfers: in the fall of 2023, 483 undergraduate students arrived here for the first time after studying at another institution. This is a count of people arriving, not of those leaving. The rate of students who leave here for another school is not reported in this file. That does not demonstrate that no one transfers out; it simply means that entry is not included.
Money: what they advertise and what is actually paid
At University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, among 130 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid, paid the in-state or in-district rate, and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $8,742. Among 121 students from the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $11,231; among 186 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $17,830. For dependent students, the band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band (130 students) and the average for the highest-income band (186 students) is $9,088. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship, the average was $10,289.
The advertised price is not the same as the price paid. Here, for students with low income, the average net price was $8,742 in the 2022-23 academic year.
The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at this public institution, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students with grants or scholarships, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships; it also uses that rate. If your family lives outside the state or district, the calculation is different. Ask about it before applying.
How it is paid for: scholarships, loans, and payment programs
Aid that does not have to be repaid—grants and scholarships—reached 53 out of every 100 degree-seeking students. That is more than half, but not everyone. Compared with similar schools, it falls in the quartile where grants and scholarships reach fewer people. Among those who did receive this aid, the annual average was $6,960.
The federal Pell Grant, which is for students with demonstrated financial need, reached 33 out of every 100. That is less than the overall share receiving aid, and the difference may come from state, institutional, or other sources that this breakdown does not allow us to attribute precisely. When your financial aid letter arrives, separate it yourself into three piles: what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what must be earned through work. Many letters mix them together in a single column, and that confusion costs families real money.
Regarding loans: 31 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal loan in the 2022-23 school year, with an average of $6,261 among those who borrowed. Some young people here went through the year without debt, and others borrowed. Which of those two groups your child will fall into is not determined by this overall percentage—it is determined by your child’s own financial aid letter, and that is the letter you should wait for before ruling out or committing to this school.
One detail worth emphasizing: that average loan amount is for a single year and covers only federal loans in the student’s name. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, debt from banks or credit cards, or the total debt someone has upon graduation. That number—the one that truly matters in the end—is not in this report.
The institution also reports a tuition installment payment plan and participation in a Promise-type program. It is worth asking directly about both if monthly cash flow is a real concern in your household.
Life on campus: housing, sports, technology, and support
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay does have institution-controlled housing, on or off campus, with a reported maximum capacity of 2,005 students. Not all first-time, full-time students are required to live there—although that does not rule out the possibility that a specific program may require it. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies by plan. The existence of housing does not guarantee that a bed will be available: ask in writing for the annual rate, the application deadline, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC, the only branch confirmed in writing is the Army. The Navy and Air Force are not marked in this report. Unconfirmed does not mean impossible; it simply means you need to ask directly if your child is interested in another branch.
The school does compete in intercollegiate sports and is affiliated with the NCAA, with reported membership in basketball and cross-country or track and field. Institutional membership does not tell you whether there is a place on the team for your child or whether that specific sport offers a scholarship. Ask the coach directly, in writing.
Regarding learning format: 23 out of every 100 undergraduate students took their entire course load at a distance in the fall count; the other 77 had at least one in-person class. The school also reports at least one complete program that can be completed at a distance, although the report does not specify whether that program is undergraduate or graduate. Confirm the exact level and major if this matters to your family.
The library operates with paid staff, annual spending above $100,000, physical and digital materials, and interlibrary lending. As for general support, the institution reports combined academic and career counseling, employment services for students, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, a dedicated point of contact for service members and their families, a student veterans organization, and a published web address for disability services.
What happens after enrollment: who stays and who finishes
Here we reach the part that most defines whether the money and time invested bear fruit.
Of the full-time, bachelor’s-degree-seeking cohort that entered in the fall of 2022, 70 out of every 100 were still enrolled here or had already completed their degree one year later. Compared with similar schools, it ranks in the lower part of the group. The report does not separate how many of those 70 are still here from how many have already earned their degree, nor does it explain what happened to the rest. And something important: not returning is not the same as dropping out of school. Someone who transferred to another university and is still studying there counts the same in this figure as someone who stopped studying entirely.
Regarding graduation: of the 938 students who entered full time in 2017, 498 had earned a degree from this school six years later. That is 53 out of every 100—almost evenly split. At four years, the timeframe most families include in their budgets, the figure is only 38 out of every 100. There is a difference of 15 points between four and six years, and that difference is not a minor detail: if your family’s financial plan is built around exactly four years, it is worth asking in writing how long the major that interests your child usually takes, how required courses are scheduled, and how the total cost changes if an additional semester or year is needed.
Compared with similar schools, half of the group or more reported this same six-year graduation share or a lower one.
There is a third measurement, at eight years, that includes both first-time students and those who already had prior study: of a cohort of 1,885 people who entered between July of 2015 and June of 2016, 58 out of every 100 had earned a degree or certificate from this school as of August of 2023. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was very similar: 59 out of every 100. That is notable—the difference between those with demonstrated financial need and those without it was only 2 points—although similar figures do not mean that the path was equally easy for everyone.
The rest of that cohort is divided between those whom the report lists as having no credential from here—some of them were still enrolled or had subsequently enrolled elsewhere, although the government’s definitions do not allow us to determine exactly how many as of the reporting date—and 17 out of every 100 whose enrollment status was simply unknown. Unknown does not mean that they did not continue studying elsewhere; it means that the report was unable to determine their status.
Putting the pieces together
You now know, in considerable depth, one of the three pieces you need in order to decide: what University of Wisconsin-Green Bay really is and offers according to its own reports to the federal government. It is a large, predominantly local public school with fairly accessible admission, a published cost that—for Wisconsin families—ranks among the lowest in its comparison group, and graduation outcomes that are close to an even split, neither cause for automatic alarm nor a guaranteed promise.
That piece alone decides nothing. You still need to combine it with what your child wants to study, what your child has already built in high school, and what your family can and is willing to pay. If you live outside Wisconsin, the cost calculation changes fundamentally. If your child plans to transfer here or leave here midway through the degree, it is your responsibility to ask the questions about credits today, not later. If monthly finances are a real concern, the installment payment plan exists and is worth asking about.
No article can decide any of this. Your family decides, with this information in hand and without having to memorize the language of government reports to understand what is at stake.
Source note: the information in this article comes from reports that University of Wisconsin-Green Bay submitted to IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and the United States Department of Education, corresponding primarily to the years 2022-23 and 2023-24. Best College Aid does not represent University of Wisconsin-Green Bay or any government agency; this article organizes and explains public data to help families understand it.