About these numbers
Every figure below is a census count, taken from the student and payroll systems at the close of business on the tenth day of classes — Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Census counts do not move afterward, so they are what Porter reports to the UW System, the federal government and the Common Data Set. Headcounts are people, not credits; each student is counted once, in the college of their first major.
The preliminary figure announced on August 30 (8,412, a nine-year high) held at census exactly, which Institutional Research notes has happened only twice in the last ten years. Total enrollment is up 6.1 percent from 7,928 in fall 2025. Retention and graduation rates follow the federal definitions explained on graduation and retention rates; budget figures come from Budget & Financial Planning.
Enrollment, fall 2026
By college and level
| College | Undergraduate | Graduate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering & Technology | 1,742 | 148 | 1,890 |
| Computing & Information Sciences | 1,286 | 196 | 1,482 |
| Health Sciences | 1,224 | 94 | 1,318 |
| Business | 1,018 | 172 | 1,190 |
| Arts, Design & Communication | 868 | — | 868 |
| Education | 612 | 147 | 759 |
| Applied & Technical Studies | 641 | — | 641 |
| Exploratory (undeclared) | 214 | — | 214 |
| Non-degree and dual enrollment | 50 | — | 50 |
| Total | 7,655 (91.0%) | 757 (9.0%) | 8,412 |
Undergraduates by class standing: first-year 2,412 (including 2,110 new first-time students), sophomore 1,688, junior 1,702, senior 1,803, non-degree 50. Graduate students: 702 master’s, 41 doctoral (Ed.D.), 14 graduate non-degree. Full-time: 6,812 undergraduates and 298 graduate students (7,110 total); part-time: 843 and 459 (1,302 total). New transfer students: 682.
Who our students are
| Measure | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| First-generation undergraduates | 2,909 | 38% of undergraduates |
| First-generation, new first-year class | 591 | 28% of 2,110 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 2,418 | 32% of undergraduates |
| Living in university housing (plus 38 temporarily at the Porter Falls Inn) | 2,614 | 31% of all students |
| Veterans and service members | 214 | 3% |
Age
| Age band | Under 18 | 18–19 | 20–21 | 22–24 | 25–29 | 30–39 | 40+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 46 | 3,214 | 2,688 | 1,302 | 548 | 402 | 212 |
Average age: 21.4 for undergraduates, 31.8 for graduate students. The 46 students under 18 are almost all high schoolers in dual enrollment.
Where students come from
Students come from 41 states and 29 countries; the fall 2026 first-year class alone came from 27 states.
| Residency for tuition | Students |
|---|---|
| Wesconsin resident | 6,184 |
| Minnesota reciprocity | 1,038 |
| Midwest Student Exchange rate | 512 |
| Other non-resident (U.S.) | 446 |
| International | 232 |
| Total | 8,412 |
| Top Wesconsin home counties | Students |
|---|---|
| Porter County | 1,348 |
| Tamarack County (Lake City) | 702 |
| Kettle River County | 412 |
| Halsey County | 366 |
| Millbrook County | 298 |
| Upper Rapids County | 241 |
| All other counties | 2,817 |
Top home states after Wesconsin: Minnesota 1,038; Illinois 214; Iowa 131; Michigan 98; North Dakota 96; Ohio 58; South Dakota 52. How the residency categories are decided is on residency for tuition purposes.
Degrees conferred, 2025–26
The 2025–26 reporting year covers the August 2025, December 2025 and May 2026 conferral dates: 170, 694 and 1,652 degrees respectively, 2,516 in all — the largest year on record. Applied Mathematics and Environmental Science degrees are credited to Applied & Technical Studies, which awards them jointly with Science & Mathematics.
| College | Bachelor’s | Master’s | Doctoral | Total degrees | Certificates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering & Technology | 512 | 58 | — | 570 | 46 |
| Computing & Information Sciences | 384 | 74 | — | 458 | — |
| Business | 338 | 82 | — | 420 | 29 |
| Health Sciences | 372 | 31 | — | 403 | — |
| Arts, Design & Communication | 246 | — | — | 246 | — |
| Education | 178 | 38 | 5 | 221 | — |
| Applied & Technical Studies | 198 | — | — | 198 | 43 |
| Total | 2,228 | 283 | 5 | 2,516 | 118 |
Retention and graduation
| Measure | Cohort | Students | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Returned for a second fall | Fall 2025 first-time, full-time | 1,630 of 1,964 | 83% |
| First-generation students returned | Fall 2025 | — | 80.0% (gap: 4.1 points) |
| Graduated in four years | Fall 2022 | 1,051 of 1,812 | 58% |
| Graduated in six years | Fall 2020 | 1,211 of 1,706 | 71% |
| Six-year rate, first-generation | Three-year average | — | 69% |
| Six-year rate, Pell recipients | Three-year average | — | 65% |
Progress against the retention-gap and completion targets is tracked on the strategic plan progress dashboard.
Faculty, staff and finances
| Employees, fall 2026 | Headcount |
|---|---|
| Tenured faculty | 214 |
| Tenure-track faculty | 96 |
| Full-time teaching faculty | 80 |
| Academic staff (incl. 118 part-time instructors) | 410 |
| University staff | 330 |
| Limited-term employees | 110 |
| Total employees | 1,240 |
| Student employees (separate) | 1,612 |
| Finances | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY2027 all-funds budget | $214.6M |
| Tuition and fees (net) | $86.4M (40.3%) |
| State appropriation | $48.9M (22.8%) |
| Instruction spending | $68.2M (31.8%) |
| External research awards, FY2026 | $9.1M |
| Spending per student | about $25,500 |
| Deferred maintenance backlog | about $41M |
The 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio uses full-time equivalents: 7,701 FTE students to 453 FTE instructional staff. Hiring and benefits are on work at Porter; Foundation giving is reported separately in the giving impact report.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every count, rate, county, dollar figure and census date in this fact book is invented, and the counties named here do not exist; nothing on this page reports a real institution’s enrollment or finances.