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More Than 38,000 Wisconsin Private Colleges Grads Work at State’s Biggest Companies

Wisconsin’s Private College (WPC) graduates fill important jobs at Wisconsin’s largest companies, including much-needed positions within health care, manufacturing, and finance and insurance.

Within a year of graduation, approximately 90 percent of Wisconsin’s Private Colleges alumni are employed. Many of these graduates are employed at Wisconsin’s largest companies, supporting the state’s economic infrastructure.

“College degrees empower individuals and also play a pivotal role in shaping the economic vitality of Wisconsin and the entire nation,” said Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) President Eric W. Fulcomer. “Wisconsin’s Private Colleges confer degrees upon 13,400 graduates annually. This number makes up 24 percent of bachelor’s degrees and 34 percent of advanced degrees in our state, with no direct operating support from taxpayers.”

Data gathered from a 2024 WAICU LinkedIn research project illustrates that 38,700 Wisconsin’s Private College alumni currently work for 302 of Wisconsin’s biggest companies, 75 percent of those with more than 1,000 employees according to their self-reported LinkedIn information. Additionally, each company featured in the final study employs at least five Wisconsin Private College graduates.

“This data demonstrates the impressive contributions of our 22 private, nonprofit colleges to Wisconsin’s workforce,” added President Fulcomer.

The industry with the most WAICU graduates is the health care sector, with 33.8 percent, or 13,099 Wisconsin’s Private College grads. Indeed, the top three Wisconsin employers with the most WAICU alumni are heath care organizations, including Aurora Health Care, Advocate Aurora Health, and Ascension.

Wisconsin’s manufacturing sector accounts for 7,416 graduates, and 100 of the 302 largest Wisconsin businesses. Finance and insurance account for 4,788 Wisconsin’s Private College graduates.

Marian University in Fond du Lac has been partnering with construction businesses and launched a major in Construction Management last fall. Vice President of Human Resources at C.D. Smith Construction Connie Coon, said, “Since the program’s beginning, we’ve had the pleasure of working with Sam Schaefer, a student at Marian, who has been interning with us since August of 2022. We’re excited to see him graduate and look forward to the possibility of him becoming a full-time core member of our team at C.D. Smith Construction.”

More information about private college graduates employed at large Wisconsin companies is available on our website through an interactive dashboard.

Here, you can see an in-depth breakdown of Wisconsin’s Private Colleges alumni working within nine major industries. You also can view top Wisconsin employers with the most Wisconsin private college alumni for each industry.