Is University of Wisconsin-Parkside Worth It?

University of Wisconsin-Parkside gives you a low-cost, modest-return deal. You pay about $10,000 a year and leave with debt around $20,000, both manageable numbers. Median earnings a decade out sit near the low $50,000s, so the debt-to-income math works out fine for most graduates. The problem is finishing: fewer than 40% of students graduate, and only about 71% return after freshman year. If you drop out with debt and no degree, none of the favorable pricing helps you.

Computer Science is the clear winner here. It pays over $56,000, the highest on campus, though it also carries the heaviest debt load at $24,250. Accounting is the smarter value play: it pays close to $45,000 but graduates leave with under $15,000 in debt, the lowest of the top programs. General business and marketing land in the low $40,000s with middling debt. Criminal Justice is the weak spot, paying under $35,000 while still saddling you with nearly $19,500 in debt. That combination makes it the hardest degree here to justify financially.

If your family earns under $30,000, you pay roughly $5,500 a year, and this becomes one of the cheaper paths to a bachelor's degree in Wisconsin. The price climbs steadily with income, reaching over $16,000 if your family earns above $110,000, so wealthier families lose much of the affordability edge. This school fits you if you're aiming for accounting, business, or computer science and you're confident you'll finish. If you're drawn to lower-paying majors like criminal justice, or you're unsure about completing a degree, the low sticker price won't protect you from a bad outcome.