Wisconsin Nursing Schools And Programs

Wisconsin employs about 63,000 registered nurses, and more than 30 schools across the state offer associate or BSN programs to train the next ones. This guide covers the strongest programs, what they cost, how to earn your RN license, and what the pay and job outlook look like.

The Best Nursing Schools in Wisconsin

These programs stand out on academic quality, cost, reputation, and offerings.

The flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin system, UW-Madison enrolls over 47,000 students across 13 schools and colleges. Its school of nursing, founded in 1924 as the state's first college-level program, offers traditional and accelerated BSN degrees, a DNP, and a Ph.D. The onsite Ph.D. pairs individualized coursework with mentored research.

• Program: Ph.D. in nursing
• Campus: Madison, Wisconsin
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Tuition: $12,176 per year for Wisconsin residents; $25,504 per year for out-of-state students; $19,292 for Minnesota residents
• Admission Requirements: Bachelor's degree in nursing from an accredited program; minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA; 3-4 letters of reference; two examples of original papers or other scholarly research
• Minimum Time Commitment: 3 years
• On-Campus Requirements: Yes
• School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate: 99%

Wisconsin's first four-year institution, Carroll University serves over 3,400 students. Its College of Health Sciences runs an ADN geared for bilingual candidates, a direct-entry MSN for non-nursing degree-holders, and a traditional BSN. The BSN includes clinical rotations in medical-surgical, pediatric, and intensive care settings.

• Program: Bachelor of science in nursing
• Campus: Waukesha, Wisconsin
• Type: Private
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Tuition: $35,360 per year
• Admission Requirements: High school diploma or equivalent; official transcripts
• Minimum Time Commitment: 4 years
• On-Campus Requirements: Yes
• School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate: 100%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $60,325 for bachelor's graduates, according to College Scorecard

Part of the Wisconsin Technical College System, Moraine Park Technical College offers associate degrees, technical diplomas, and certificates. Its ADN has a practical nursing exit point: students can take the NCLEX-PN after two semesters to work as LPNs, or finish all four semesters to earn the associate degree and sit for the NCLEX-RN.

• Program: Associate of science in nursing
• Campus: Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
• Tuition: $141 per credit for Wisconsin residents; $211 per credit for out-of-state students
• Admission Requirements: High school diploma or equivalent; official transcripts; minimum 3.0 GPA or GED, ACT, or Accuplacer scores
• Minimum Time Commitment: 4 semesters
• On-Campus Requirements: Yes
• School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate: 98%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $53,819 for associate graduates, according to College Scorecard

Carthage College confers degrees in over 50 subjects, including high-demand fields like engineering, education, and nursing. Its 130-credit BSN ties the Carthage liberal arts core to professional training, with 850 practice hours across direct patient care, simulations, and lab work.

• Program: Bachelor of science in nursing
• Campus: Kenosha, Wisconsin
• Type: Private
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Tuition: $34,500 per year
• Admission Requirements: High school diploma or equivalent; official transcripts; minimum 2.75 GPA for progression into the upper division nursing courses
• Minimum Time Commitment: 4 years
• On-Campus Requirements: Yes

Founded in 1916 as a teacher's college, UW-Eau Claire now runs over 150 programs. Its MSN, offered onsite or hybrid, lets students focus on adult gerontology or family health. Nurses targeting nurse practitioner or nurse executive roles can enter the BSN-to-DNP option. UWEC also offers a BSN.

• Program: Master of science in nursing
• Campus: Eau Claire, Wisconsin
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Tuition: $522 per credit
• Admission Requirements: Bachelor's in nursing; minimum 3.0 GPA; RN license; prerequisites in undergraduate statistics and health assessment; three letters of reference; resume; essay
• Minimum Time Commitment: 2 years
• On-Campus Requirements: Yes
• School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate: 100%

UW-Green Bay enrolls over 8,900 students across about 200 programs. It offers an MSN in nursing leadership and management, a traditional BSN, and an online or onsite RN-to-BSN for nurses who hold an associate degree or diploma.

• Program: Bachelor of science in nursing (RN-to-BSN)
• Campus: Green Bay, Wisconsin
• Type: Public
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Tuition: $353-$452 per credit
• Admission Requirements: ADN or nursing diploma; minimum 2.5 GPA; RN license
• Minimum Time Commitment: 2 years
• On-Campus Requirements: Yes
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $66,287 for bachelor's graduates, according to College Scorecard

A Jesuit university with over 11,000 students, Marquette University has taught nursing for 85 years and confers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Its 126-credit BSN places students in more than 80 hospitals, clinics, memory care facilities, and community health centers.

• Program: Bachelor of science in nursing
• Campus: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Type: Private
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Tuition: $45,860 per year
• Admission Requirements: High school diploma or equivalent; official transcripts; list of extracurricular activities; essay
• Minimum Time Commitment: 4 years
• On-Campus Requirements: Yes
• School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate: 98%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $62,885 for bachelor's graduates, according to College Scorecard

Affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Concordia University Wisconsin serves 8,000 students and is one of the few Wisconsin programs with a second-degree BSN for non-nurses. Candidates for the 14-month accelerated program must live in southeastern Wisconsin.

• Program: Bachelor of science in nursing (accelerated second-degree BSN for non-nurses)
• Campus: Mequon, Wisconsin
• Type: Private
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Tuition: $16,270 per semester
• Admission Requirements: Bachelor's degree in a non-nursing field; minimum 2.75 GPA; two letters of recommendation; essay
• Minimum Time Commitment: 14 months
• On-Campus Requirements: Yes
• School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate: 93%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $62,154 for bachelor's graduates, according to College Scorecard

Edgewood College, founded in 1927 by the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, became a four-year college in 1958 and coeducational in 1970. It offers traditional and accelerated paths to undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees. The fully online family nurse practitioner MSN runs full or part time, and MSN students can continue into the DNP executive leadership program.

• Program: Master of science in nursing (family nurse practitioner)
• Campus: Madison, Wisconsin
• Type: Private
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Tuition: $1,072 per credit
• Admission Requirements: Bachelor's degree in nursing; minimum 3.0 GPA; official transcripts; RN license; written statement; two letters of recommendation
• Minimum Time Commitment: 3 years
• On-Campus Requirements: No
• School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate: 99%

Milwaukee School of Engineering confers degrees in engineering, business, mathematics, and nursing. For year-round study, MSOE offers traditional and second-degree BSN programs plus direct-entry MSN degrees. The accelerated second-degree BSN takes applicants with a non-nursing bachelor's and runs six consecutive quarters, including summers.

• Program: Bachelor of science in nursing (accelerated second-degree track)
• Campus: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Type: Private
• Accreditation: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
• Tuition: $44,601 per year
• Admission Requirements: Bachelor's degree in non-nursing field; minimum 3.0 GPA; official transcripts
• Minimum Time Commitment: 18 months
• On-Campus Requirements: Yes
• School NCLEX-RN Pass Rate: 97%
• Median Earnings Two Years After Graduation: $60,030 for bachelor's graduates, according to College Scorecard

How to Choose a Nursing Program in Wisconsin

Weigh cost (tuition, expenses, and financial aid), program quality, admission requirements and acceptance rates, the clinical placement process, and program logistics. If you plan to study online, confirm you can get clinical placement in your community. Stick to accredited programs; unaccredited ones are a poor bargain. Admission to BSN programs is competitive, with acceptance rates roughly 50-70%.

Why Become a Nurse in Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. Once you graduate from a Wisconsin nursing school and pass the NCLEX-RN, you can apply for a multistate license that's valid across the 40-plus participating states. The state's cost of living sits below the national average, and nursing salaries run modestly below the national average to match.

Salary and Job Outlook for Nurses in Wisconsin

More than 63,000 RNs work in Wisconsin, mostly in hospitals. The cost of living runs below average (95.5 against the national index of 100). Wisconsin RNs average about $87,220 a year (2024), modestly below the national average, while nurse practitioners average about $113,030, close to the national figure of $114,510, according to the BLS.

Job growth trails the national pace. The BLS and ProjectionsCentral project Wisconsin RN jobs growing 7.8% and NP jobs 23% over a recent ten-year window, against national rates of 12.1% for RNs and 28.2% for NPs. By 2030, HRSA projects a surplus of 6,200 nurses in Wisconsin, though that projection predates COVID-19 and does not account for nurses who left during and after the pandemic.

Madison and Milwaukee both host major hospitals and academic medical centers. For a smaller city, La Crosse, Racine, and Oshkosh offer midwestern charm, easy access to bigger cities, and the state's roughly 15,000 lakes.

Top Paying Metropolitan Areas	Average Salary for RNs
Madison	$82,330
Milwaukee, Waukesha, West Allis	$76,750
La Crosse, Onalaska	$76,270
Oshkosh, Neenah	$72,400
Racine	$72,360

Source: BLS

Steps to Becoming a Nurse in Wisconsin

To earn a license, complete an approved nursing program in Wisconsin or another state, pass the NCLEX-RN, and clear a criminal background check. Wisconsin is one of the few states that doesn't require continuing education to renew an RN license, though APRNs must submit proof of continuing education.

RN Requirements

Earn an ADN or BSN and pass the NCLEX. When you apply to the state board of nursing, you also sign up for a criminal background check. Graduates of state-approved Wisconsin schools can apply online; everyone else must print and mail the materials. The application fee is $72; the NCLEX-RN registration fee is $200. A completed application can take up to 30 days to process.

APRN Requirements

To apply for APRN licensing, you need an MSN or DNP; confirmation of your RN license in an NLC state, your degree, and board certification; and proof of at least 45 contact hours in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics within the last five years. You must also pass an open-book jurisprudence (law) exam. If you plan to prescribe independently, submit proof of malpractice insurance. The fee is $132.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nursing in Wisconsin

What does it take to get licensed? Earn an ADN or BSN, pass the NCLEX-RN, and clear a criminal background check.

How long does it take? An ADN runs about two years, a BSN about four. The BSN costs more time but pays off if you plan to pursue a master's, and many employers require or prefer it for higher-level roles.

What do nurses earn? RNs in Wisconsin average about $87,220 a year and nurse practitioners about $113,030, according to the BLS.

Does the license work in other states? Yes. As an NLC member, Wisconsin lets you apply for a multistate license that's valid across the 40-plus participating states.