Photo: Awkwafaba · CC BY-SA 3.0Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology is 8.3 miles from Big Bend
No college sits inside Big Bend’s boundary, but Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology’s campus in Franklin, with 147 students on campus, is 8.3 miles from the center of town, and Waukesha County Technical College is 13.2 miles away in Pewaukee. About 3% of Big Bend’s residents are enrolled in college, below Wisconsin (6%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Big Bend. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Big Bend
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Big Bend
Seven private colleges within 14.4 miles, and Waukesha County Technical College 13.2 miles away. The nearest public four-year college, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is 21.1 miles away.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.
Starts at Over $110k, where Big Bend’s median household income ($134,615) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Herzing University-Brookfield (11); Bryant & Stratton College-Wauwatosa (8); University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2).
Questions about college near Big Bend
Is Big Bend a college town?
No. About 3 of every 100 Big Bend residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below Wisconsin (6). The nearest campus, Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, is 8.3 miles away in Franklin.
What colleges are near Big Bend?
8 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: Waukesha County Technical College (13.2 miles, 7,324 students on campus), Carroll University (8.4 miles, 3,128) and Medical College of Wisconsin (14.4 miles, 1,590).
What is the closest community college to Big Bend, and what does it cost?
Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee, 13.2 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,872 a year for Wisconsin residents; the federal net price, $11,101, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee cost if we live in Wisconsin?
Tuition and fees are $10,398 a year in-state and $22,398 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,329 (under $30,000 income) to $21,477 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Big Bend. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →