Newsweek ranking highlights equity, safety, paths to success

Newsweek ranking highlights equity, safety, paths to success

UW-La Crosse is the best public university for women in the state of Wisconsin, according to a new ranking published by Newsweek.

The magazine's inaugural list of America's Best Colleges for Women evaluated universities on a range of factors, including employment and leadership opportunities, equitable pay practices and policies, campus safety, and available pathways to success.

In the ranking, UWL is the top-rated public university of any size in Wisconsin and the sixth-rated university in the state overall.

The university's highest scores came in the categories of safety (which examines crime data) and pay and policies (which examines compensation data and the availability of daycare facilities for employees and students).

Beyond safety and compensation, UWL offers a variety of initiatives designed to advance education and gender equality on campus, including a major and minor in Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies; numerous student organizations; athletic and recreational teams; and events and educational programming throughout the year.

To be included on the list, universities must employ at least 20 women in academic roles, enroll 1,000 or more students and award bachelor's degrees. The rankings are based on metrics derived from the Unted Nations Women's Empowerment Principles, which are designed to assess institutional support of gender equality.

This latest accolade further highlights UWL's reputation as a school of choice for students of all backgrounds.

Last fall, UWL was ranked as the best public regional university in the tri-state area of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois on the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges list.

"It is clear from our strong rankings, our growing enrollment and our reputation for academic excellence that UWL is a destination university - a place that students and families from all over the state, region and indeed the country want to be a part of," Chancellor James Beeby says.