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Platteville, Wisconsin Main Street looking WestPhoto: Downspec · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Platteville

Platteville is a college town: 42 of every 100 residents are students

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville (5,671 students on campus) is inside the city. Across Wisconsin, 6 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town42% of residents are studentsUniversity of Wisconsin-Platteville

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 Platteville. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
1
5,671 students on campus
Nearest college
1 mi
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Residents in college
42%
Above WI (6%)
Nearest community college
19.2 mi
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College · $4,904 tuition
Nearest public university
1 mi
University of Wisconsin-Platteville · $8,644 in-state
Students on campus in Platteville
5,671
next to 11,815 residents

What stands out about college in Platteville

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town42 of every 100 Platteville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Wisconsin.A university in PlattevilleThe University of Wisconsin-Platteville has 5,671 students on campus in Platteville, 56% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at University of Wisconsin-PlattevilleLiving in Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville charges $8,644 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $17,603. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 19.2 miles awaySouthwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore: tuition and fees $4,904 a year for Wisconsin residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Platteville

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

42 of every 100 Platteville residents are in college (WI: 6).

5,671students on campus at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, next to 11,815 residents (dorm students count as residents)
2,355college students live in Platteville households rather than dorms
23.4median age · WI 40.2
55%of residents are men · WI 50% (±2.6 points)
60%of homes rented · WI 32%
$863median rent · 21% below the state
PlattevillePlatteville, WI
Cost of living$863/mo median rentB−SafetyCrime reported to the FBIC+HealthCDC estimatesBJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundB−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Platteville’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income B−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 24.5% of Platteville residents are below the poverty line, 9.7% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 9 points either way). 64% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living B−

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (42% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health B

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Platteville’s median age is 23.4 (Wisconsin 40.2), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C+

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Platteville

It is public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Platteville.

5 mi10 mi15 miUniversity of Wisconsin-PlattevillePlatteville
University or collegeCommunity college
University of Wisconsin-PlattevilleUniversity or college · Public · 5,671 on campus · In Platteville89%admitted$16knet price56%graduate$62kearnings

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 it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $30–48k, where Platteville’s median household income ($43,083) falls.

University of Wisconsin-PlattevilleIn Platteville · sticker $21,266$10,459a year

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.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Platteville: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →University of Wisconsin-Platteville
University of Wisconsin-Platteville56% graduate$62k earnings$22k typical debt

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.

Majors

What students study in Platteville

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Engineering 29%Business 16%Public safety 8%Agriculture 6%Education 5%Engineering tech 5%Everything else 29%

Biggest programs

Mechanical Engineering154 graduates a year
$87k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections89 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out
Civil Engineering82 graduates a year
$82k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods71 graduates a year
$44k4 yrs out
Biology, General67 graduates a year
$51k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations67 graduates a year
$66k4 yrs out
Security Science and Technology62 graduates a year
$50k4 yrs out
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians58 graduates a year
$84k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Platteville

Is Platteville a college town?

Yes. 42 of every 100 Platteville residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 6 across Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin-Platteville has 5,671 students on campus, next to 11,815 residents.

What colleges are in Platteville?

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is inside the city. Southwest Wisconsin Technical College is 19.2 miles away in Fennimore.

Why is Platteville’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 24.5% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 9.7% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 9 points).

What is the closest community college to Platteville, and what does it cost?

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore, 19.2 miles away. Tuition and fees are $4,904 a year for Wisconsin residents; the federal net price, $12,896, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into the University of Wisconsin-Platteville?

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville admitted 89% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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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 Platteville. 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 →