Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas at University of Wisconsin-River Falls

UW-River Falls graduates entering teaching earn about $4,000 less in their first year compared to the typical Wisconsin teacher education graduate, landing in the 40th percentile statewide. This gap persists even after four years, when earnings reach $45,548—still trailing the state median and ranking well below what graduates from UW-Stout or UW-Platteville command. Starting at $39,673 means these new teachers are among the lower earners in Wisconsin's teacher education landscape, despite the state's relatively strong teacher compensation overall.

The debt load of $26,000 is manageable, slightly below both state and national medians. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66, graduates can expect to handle their loans on a teacher's salary, though the lower starting pay means tighter budgets in those crucial first years. The 15% earnings growth over four years is solid for education, suggesting the typical teacher salary progression kicks in reliably.

The bottom line: If your child is committed to teaching in Wisconsin, UW-River Falls will prepare them adequately at a reasonable price, but they'll likely start several thousand dollars behind peers from other UW campuses. For a family prioritizing teaching as a stable career path, this works—just understand it's not positioning graduates at the top of Wisconsin's teacher pay scale.