Milwaukee School of Engineering graduates are bringing home the most bacon.

MSOE graduates have the highest median earnings four years after graduation among more than 70 Wisconsin institutions, according to federal data.

The U.S. Department of Education recently rolled out a new feature that puts this earnings data in front of more high school students making important decisions on where to go to college. Students filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA, will see median earnings for each school they have expressed interest in attending.

Crucially, the department also flags if a school’s earnings fall below what the average high school graduate earns.

The data itself isn’t new. And what it shows – graduates from the vast majority of Wisconsin colleges and universities earning more than than their peers with only high school diplomas – isn’t exactly surprising.

But the new earnings indicator comes at a time when public confidence in higher education is plummeting. About 35% of Gallup poll respondents said a college education was very important in 2025, down from 75% in 2010.

“More than half of all Americans now say a college degree is not worth the price, and total outstanding student loan debt is approaching $1.7 trillion," U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. "Families deserve a clearer picture of how postsecondary education connects to real-world earnings, and this new indicator will provide that transparency."

Here’s what to know about the new earnings indicator, and how Wisconsin schools stack up:

What does the new FAFSA earnings indicator show for Wisconsin schools?

Median earnings for state technical college graduates are $5,000 to $18,000 more than Wisconsin high school graduates four years after graduation.

It’s even higher for bachelor’s degree recipients from public universities and private, nonprofit institutions. Median earnings were sometimes double the median earnings for a Wisconsin high school graduate ($37,885).

The data allows students to compare potential post-graduate earnings by school, but it isn’t broken down by individual program. Students can explore program-level results using the College Scorecard at CollegeScorecard.ed.gov.

Which Wisconsin colleges produce highest salaries for students?

At the top of the list for Wisconsin institutions was the Milwaukee School of Engineering, where median earnings four years out of school topped $93,000.

Coming in at No. 2 was Marquette University, where undergraduates earned nearly $80,000. Bellin College, a private nursing school in Green Bay came in third, with students earning about $79,000.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison ($75,084) and Viterbo University ($70,471) rounded out the top five.

Which Wisconsin schools produce lower earnings?

More than a dozen Wisconsin institutions were flagged for low earnings. They all operate as for-profit institutions:

The Salon Professional Academy-Appleton, $30,616

Milwaukee Career College, $29,530

Paul Mitchell the School-Milwaukee, $28,747

The Institute of Beauty and Wellness, $28,635

Aveda Institute-Madison, $28,635

VICI Beauty School, $27,062

The Salon Professional Academy-Kenosha, $26,216

The Professional Hair Design Academy, $25,503

The Salon Professional Academy-Onalaska, $25,396

State College of Beauty Culture, $25,007

First Class Cosmetology School, $23,737

Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Janesville, $22,803

Empire Beauty School-Green Bay, $20,273

Empire Beauty School-Milwaukee, $20,273

Academy of Beauty Professionals, $19,704

Advanced College of Cosmetology, $18,666

Shepherds College, $11,299

Kelly Meyerhofer has covered higher education in Wisconsin since 2018. Contact her at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: FAFSA earnings tool shows how much money Wisconsin college grads make