The University of Wisconsin-Stout is a Best College on the rise, based on the latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
The 2022-23 Best Colleges lists released Monday, Sept. 12, by the magazine included UW-Stout in five key categories. Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University moved up in each area over the previous year:
- Public regional universities in the Midwest: 13th, up two places; top three in the UW System
- Regional universities in the Midwest: 62nd, up seven places.
- Midwest regional universities for veterans: 27th, up three places; also up 21 places in two years; top three in UW System
- Undergraduate engineering schools nationally without doctoral programs: 70th, up 22 places; also up 40 places in two years; top two in UW System
- Best value in the Midwest, 63rd, up two places; top four in UW System
The rankings reflect the university’s ongoing commitments to excellence, applied learning, career-focused programs, serving veterans and affordability. In 2021, UW-Stout implemented its FOCUS2030 strategic plan, which includes five key goals, led by student success.
“At UW-Stout, we are committed to continuous improvement in all that we do, as is exemplified in our rapid rise in rankings,” Chancellor Katherine Frank said. “Our distinctive approach to learning as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University and our unmatched employment rate for graduates across the UW System are evidence of our unwavering commitment to student success.”
Student success on campus, in online programs and post-graduation is at the core of UW-Stout’s mission. The university has three times as many labs and studios as classrooms, required experiential learning in every academic program, a robust Cooperative Education and Internship Program and one of the largest career conferences in the Midwest.
The career-focused approach, which builds on strong industry partnerships, has resulted in a long-running employment rate near or above 98% within six months for graduates, including 98.4% this past year.
In a separate ranking recently by CollegeValuesOnline, UW-Stout was named one of the top 30 schools in the nation for its business and industry partnerships.
The university’s significant improvement in the U.S. News & World Report engineering rankings in part reflects a nearly 100% employment rate for recent engineering graduates. Hands-on learning in labs is part of the everyday experience in the Robert F. Cervenka School of Engineering.
UW-Stout has four undergraduate engineering programs, a master’s program and an engineering technology program with a total of approximately 1,000 students.
The commitment to supporting veterans at UW-Stout includes peer-to-peer Veteran Mentorship Program, a Military and Veteran Resource Center, a Council on Veteran Services and a student Veterans Club. UW-Stout also has an Army ROTC — Reserve Officer Training Corps — program.
This year, the university was named a Military Friendly® school for 2022-2023, moving up two levels to a silver designation. This month it also was named a Best for Vets college by Military Times, ranking No. 1 in Wisconsin and 111th overall in the U.S.
UW-Stout has approximately 450 military-affiliated students, who include veterans, current members of the U.S. military (active and reserve) and eligible family members.
The university continues to be one of the most affordable in the Midwest. Students have benefited from consistent tuition costs, textbook rental and a growing digital textbook initiative. They also can apply for hundreds of annual scholarships totaling about $1 million through the Stout University Foundation.
A new Wisconsin Tuition Promise program through the UW System will provide additional support to students beginning in 2023.
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