Alverno College

Private · Moderately Selective · WI

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationWI · Midwest

SettingUrban

Undergrads631

Student:faculty13:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate29.3%

6-yr grad rate49.2%

Drop-out rate39%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$34k

Out-of-state tuition$34k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity73.1%

Gender diversity98.6%

International0.5%

IdentityRoman Catholic

Overview

Alverno College is a private Catholic women's college in Milwaukee, well known within higher education circles for its distinctive ability-based assessment model, in which students receive detailed narrative feedback on demonstrated competencies rather than conventional letter grades in much of the curriculum. It serves a diverse, largely first-generation student body.

Academics

The ability-based curriculum structures coursework around explicit skill outcomes, such as analysis, communication, and problem-solving, that are assessed directly rather than through traditional grading alone, an approach Alverno pioneered and that education researchers still study. Nursing and education are the college's largest and best-resourced programs, both benefiting from the practical, competency-focused teaching model.

Campus & student life

The campus is compact and urban, in Milwaukee, with a small, close-knit community; many students commute or balance work and family alongside coursework, which shapes a less traditional residential-college culture than at many small colleges.

Getting in

Alverno is not highly selective and looks for fit with its assessment-based academic model and its mission of serving first-generation and adult learners.

Worth knowing

The ability-based assessment system is a genuinely distinctive academic model, not just branding; students used to conventional grading should understand it involves different kinds of feedback and evaluation before enrolling.

alverno.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate85.7%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying