La Crosse may be less diverse than comparable universities, but there does not appear to be a direct link between the lack of assorted demographics and its tuition prices. Marquette and Madison both charge a much higher tuition, but also enjoy a diverse student base. It seems that students of all races and economic backgrounds base their school choice more on factors like academic standing and university size than the price of tuition.
Some wonder if rising costs have
phased out different ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender groups from attending UW
La Crosse. Looking at the demographic portraits of UW-L, the Flagship
University of Wisconsin Madison, and the private Marquette University, the slight
comparative lack of diversity at UW-L appears a product of outside factors, and
not a result of increased tuition.
The gender breakdown of UW-L students
shows 44% men, and 56% women. This varies slightly from Madison’s figure of 51%
women and Marquette University at 54% women. UW-L does have a larger
discrepancy between the two genders, but there does not appear to be a
correlation between these figures and UW-L tuition, which is significantly
lower than the Marquette or Madison.
University size and the variety of
courses offered can be a factor in attracting students to a school, but
students are also evaluating the long term benefits of their degrees. Based on
a 20 year figure of the average in field salaries against the cost of a degree
by PayScale, La Crosse has an 8.6% return on investment, slightly higher than
Madison at 8.2% and significantly higher than Marquette at 5.1% The cost of a
degree from UW-L will bring in a wide variety of students looking to get the
best long term value from their education.
The difference in demographics is
more evident in ethnic benchmarks. 89% of UW-L Students are white, a figure
higher than the rates for Madison and Marquette at 76% and 84% respectively.
While UW-L is less diverse than these other Midwest schools, this evidence does
not support the result. If increased tuition was the source for an exodus of
minority students, UW-L would have more students of color than these schools
with much higher tuition rates.
The size and geographic location of
these schools is a more effective determinant of their diversity. UW Madison
and Marquette University are located in much larger cities than La Crosse, and
as a result have a much larger minority population. The city of La Crosse had a
population of 54,647 as of 2012. This figure is less than 10% of Milwaukee, and
just over 20% of Madison. Larger cities will inevitably attract a more wide spread
of student backgrounds and ethnicities.
Economic standing will also play a
large role in determining the demographics of a university. 23% of UW-L
students are considered “low income.” This rate is higher than UW-Madison
(16%), which has the lowest acceptance rate of the schools listed. It is,
however, much lower than the 40% low income student percentage for Marquette.
Marquette, as a private institution, is
highest for its low income student rates and tuition. But with ther private
structure, it is able to offer a variety of scholarships to accommodate
students who cannot afford study. UW-L is more affordable but not able to offer
the same amount of scholarship opportunities.
Scott Walker has announced that UW
tuition will be frozen at its current levels for the next two years. This will
allow students to relax about these costs for the next few years after a long
period of yearly 5.5% tuition rises. The yearly growth in tuition price has
undoubtedly had a negative effect on students, forcing them to rely heavily on
student loans and investments from their family. Financing of a college degree
has changed drastically over this time; grads from the UW system face an
average of $28,012 in student loan debt.
