Criminology at University of Wisconsin-River Falls

UW-River Falls criminology graduates earn $45,113 their first year out—well above the national median of $37,476 and matching Wisconsin's state median exactly. That 95th percentile national ranking looks impressive, though it's worth noting that only five Wisconsin schools offer this program, and the sample size here is quite small (under 30 graduates). Among those Wisconsin programs, this sits solidly in the middle, trailing UW-Stout's $49,004 but outpacing UW-Whitewater and Marquette.

The debt load of $24,750 is actually slightly lower than both state and national medians, giving graduates a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55. That means the typical graduate could theoretically pay off their loans in just over half a year's salary—a reasonable starting point for a field that typically doesn't command six-figure salaries. For an accessible public university (82% admission rate), these outcomes suggest the program delivers solid preparation without burying students in debt.

The caveat is that small sample warning. With fewer than 30 graduates in the dataset, one or two unusually high or low earners could skew the numbers significantly. If your child is seriously considering this program, it's worth digging into what specific career paths recent graduates have taken, since criminology can lead to very different outcomes depending on whether someone enters law enforcement, corrections, social services, or pursues graduate school.