Ripon College

Location: Ripon, Wisconsin (pop. 7,781)

Size: small (fewer than 5,000 students)

Description: Ripon College, established in 1851, is Wisconsin’s best-value private college and a national leader in innovative liberal arts education. Within six months of graduation, 98 percent of alumni are employed, in graduate school or student-teaching.

Ripon’s five-course Catalyst curriculum rigorously develops the 21st century skills employers seek while connecting students to career and professional development throughout their four years and streamlining the path to graduation. Catalyst ensures students have extensive freedom to complete multiple majors and minors, applied experiences, play sports, hold internships and graduate in four years, guaranteed.*

Ripon offers more than 80 areas of study along with unique pre-professional programs that provide qualified students preferred and early admission into graduate programs, and in some cases, a fast-track to earning sought after professional degrees sooner.

Ripon is a member of the prestigious Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM). The College competes athletically as part of the Midwest Conference and offers 18 NCAA Division III varsity teams.

The Willmore Center for athletics, health and wellness includes new high-tech classrooms, a state-of-the-art fitness center, Wisconsin’s best NCAA indoor track and field, performance courts, fitness studios, athletic training center, an open air atrium, new conference and meeting spaces, and other enhancements. Other recent campus updates include enhancements to the student union, dining facilities, student activity spaces; an upgraded recital hall; and, new applied learning classrooms to support our innovative curriculum. Our Franzen Center for Academic Success features free tutoring and mentoring services for all students in a contemporary tech-enhanced learning environment.

Ripon has a student-to-faculty ratio of 14:1, and the average class size is fewer than 20 students.

The College is in the historic city of Ripon, Wisconsin—a friendly, safe community of just under 8,000 people. The campus comprises 250 tree-lined acres and 27 buildings, 10 of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A sustainable campus, Ripon is home to the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy with 130 acres of native prairie, oak savanna, and wetland habitat in the making.

Popular majors: Exercise Science, Pre-Health Professions, Psychology, Education & Business Management 

New & improved: Ripon College is in the middle of a $35 million strategic infrastructure plan with the completion of Hopp Stadium in the Fall 2023 and the opening of newly renovated Frazen Science Center in Fall 2024. Our first cohort of the Master's of Exercise Science will begin classes in the Summer 2024 term. All interested first year students are eligible to apply for the direct entry 4 + 1 program. We will also be starting our Bachelor's of Science in General Engineering in the Fall 2024 semester.

What makes us special: Ripon College offers academic excellence, an active campus community, supportive mentors and affordability through generous scholarships and financial aid. These factors are key to a student's success at Ripon College and achieving all of their goals once they've graduated. 

Visit us at: www.ripon.edu | Virtual Tour