UW-LA CROSSE: A PROFILE
UW-L is a public institution of higher
education. In 1909 La Crosse Normal School opened its doors as a
teacher training school. It became a state teachers college in
1927, a state college in 1951, and a state university in 1964.
In 1971 the university became part of the University of
Wisconsin System.
UW-L has nearly 10,000 students, with
approximately 1,500 graduate students. The university offers
over 85 undergraduate programs in many disciplines, plus a wide
array of minors, emphases and other programs. There are nearly
350 full-time faculty and instructional academic staff, 73
percent of whom hold terminal degrees.
The average ACT score of the 2010 freshman
class was 24.7, second highest in the UW System. Seventy-two
percent of the new freshmen ranked in the top 25 percent of
their high school graduating class. The first-to-second year
retention rate is nearly 86 percent. There are many
opportunities for students to participate in and benefit from
grant funding awarded to faculty and staff annually.
Upon graduation, nearly 96 percent of
bachelor’s degree graduates in the job market found full- or
part-time employment within six months of graduation in 2009-10.
(Most recent data available).
The 118-acre campus has 31 buildings,
including 21 used for instruction, academic support, and
administrative purposes; 10 residence halls and three student
centers. UW-L consistently ranks in the top 3 institutions in
the U.S. News & World Reports Midwest rankings (no.2 in
2011). It’s also ranked number 43 on the list of the nation’s
100 best value public colleges by Kiplinger’s Magazine (2011).