Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) is a private liberal arts college founded in 1973 and affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), located on the Milwaukee-Wauwatosa border in southeastern Wisconsin. The campus sits on W. Bluemound Road, approximately 6 miles west of downtown Milwaukee and adjacent to Wauwatosa's walkable Village commercial district. WLC offers 37 undergraduate majors and several graduate programs, with Nursing (BSN) as the flagship program (nursing graduates earn ~$81,124 median salary). The college is ranked #19 in Regional Colleges Midwest by U.S. News (2025-26 edition) and received a 10-year HLC accreditation reaffirmation in July 2025 — the strongest possible accreditation outcome. Enrollment has grown to a record ~1,053 students (Fall 2025). WLC reports $45,300 median earnings 10 years after enrollment. The institution is financially stable with no closure risk. Important context: the international student community is very small (~1%, approximately 10-13 students); WLC does not heavily recruit internationally but accepts international applicants with merit scholarship consideration. The WELS Lutheran mission emphasizes a traditional Christian worldview integrated throughout the curriculum.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Domestic
—
/yr
Out-of-State / Intl
$37170
/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.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $36,110
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.
