UW-Stout stands out among peers as enrollment grows in all categories for 2025-26 academic year

University of Wisconsin-Stout already stands out among its peers as Wisconsin's only Polytechnic University. This fall, it also stands apart as the only one of the Universities of Wisconsin to demonstrate growth in all major enrollment categories, including new freshmen, new transfer students, other undergraduates, graduate students, total headcount and full-time equivalent students.

UW-Stout's enrollment growth for the 2025-26 academic year is among the strongest of the state's 13 public universities, with overall enrollment rising and the freshmen headcount growing by more than 6%.

Enrollment for the fall semester, which began Sept. 3, is estimated at 7,047 students, a 2% increase over fall 2024. The figure put UW-Stout in the top five for overall growth among its 12 peers in the Universities of Wisconsin, according to preliminary numbers based on Day One enrollment.

The enrollment figures reflect UW-Stout's Polytechnic Advantage- with its ongoing emphasis on applied learning, business and industry partnerships, and career-focused experiences - as well as the university's efforts to strategically expand enrollment, Chancellor Katherine Frank said.

"UW-Stout has been very intentional in our work connected with enrollment," Frank explained. "We are delighted to see the increase in our student population and that our stakeholders are recognizing the value of the polytechnic education we offer here at UW-Stout."

Among the strongest areas of growth is in the number of first-year students, which expanded 6.3% from last fall to an estimated 1,273 freshmen on the first day of classes.

"A UW-Stout education continues to grow in appeal," Director of AdmissionsBrian Weber said. "We hear it from our proud alumni all the time, and future students and families are taking note that the student experience at UW-Stout will set them up for long-term success. With an increase of new freshman of more than 6%, including increases in Wisconsin residents, more students are saying yes to a polytechnic education. For many students choosing UW-Stout, opportunities to apply learning on campus and through industry collaborations are top of mind - they want to make sure they're preparing well for life after college, and we plan to support them in that."

Fully 99% of UW-Stout graduates were either employed or furthering their education within six months of graduation, according to the most recent First Destination Report, which covers those who graduated between fall 2023 and summer 2024. Those who received undergraduate degrees during that time reported average starting salaries of $57,000, the highest among universities in the region, while recipients of graduate degrees reported an average salary of $74,000.

Another area of notable enrollment growth is among transfer students: That number rose 8% compared with fall 2024 after having grown 16% the previous year, said Meridith Wentz, vice chancellor for enrollment and quality.

"Growth of transfer students is one of the key initiatives in our strategic enrollment plan," Wentz explained. Steps taken to assist transfer students include significantly expanding articulation agreements with other institutions, streamlining the review process to speed up admissions decisions, and implementing systematic and proactive outreach to re-enroll students who left UW-Stout without graduating, she said.

"We very intentionally ramped up support for transfer students through additional staffing to include faster responses and more flexibility for students," Weber added. "When transfer students work with our team, they know they will quickly get the answers and help that they need."

Preliminary enrollment estimates for all 13 public universities in Wisconsin were released Tuesday, Sept. 9. Final figures, based upon the number of students enrolled as of the 10th day of classes, will be available later this fall.