,·Private (nonprofit)·Est. 1881
“Private Lutheran university on a 200-acre lakefront campus in Mequon, Wisconsin.”
Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) is a private Lutheran university founded in 1881 and located in Mequon, about 20 minutes north of downtown Milwaukee, on 200 wooded acres overlooking Lake Michigan. Together with Concordia University Ann Arbor, it is part of the Concordia University System of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. CUW educates roughly 7,900 traditional undergraduate, graduate, and adult-learner students across six schools — Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Health Professions, Nursing, and Pharmacy — and is classified by US News among national universities rather than Midwest regional institutions thanks to its expanding doctoral portfolio. Academic strengths cluster in the health and professional fields. The School of Pharmacy offers one of the state's few accredited PharmD programs. The School of Nursing is one of Wisconsin's larger private nursing pipelines with strong NCLEX pass rates and clinical partnerships throughout the Milwaukee metro. The Batterman School of Business offers AACSB-aligned undergraduate and graduate programs (including an MBA with healthcare and sports management tracks), and the School of Education is a major producer of Wisconsin K-12 teachers. Undergraduate class sizes are intentionally small, typically 15-20, with most classes led by full faculty rather than teaching assistants. Concordia is unapologetically faith-centered — chapel and service are woven into campus life — but it is also deeply integrated with Milwaukee's economy, with students interning at Fortune 500 employers including Northwestern Mutual, Kohl's, Rockwell Automation, Froedtert, and Advocate Aurora Health. The lakefront campus, 3.5 miles of heated indoor tunnels connecting academic and residence buildings (useful in Wisconsin winters), and 30 varsity Falcons teams define a distinctive CUW student experience.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
National Universities
US News 2026
Test Optional — You can submit scores if they help your case, but they're not required.
Official SourceRolling Admission — Fall
CUW uses rolling admissions; international applicants should apply at least 3-4 months before the intended start
Rolling Admission — Spring
Priority review for Spring 2027 international applicants
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$35,470
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
4 years
Four-year professional PharmD with an optional early-admission 2+4 pathway from high school (students secure a seat at CUW pharmacy at the time of undergraduate admission).
4 years
Traditional and accelerated BSN tracks with high NCLEX pass rates and clinical placements across Milwaukee-area health systems.
3 years
CAPTE-accredited program with a hybrid lab/clinical curriculum and early clinical immersion.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $35,470
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
