The 18-member University of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved a 5.5 percent tuition increase for the 13 four-year universities in the University of Wisconsin System and a tuition freeze for the two-year colleges. The approval was part of a $5.59 billion UW System operating budget. Regents said they had no choice but to approve the increase given what they called a shortage of resources to pay for higher education.
University officials said roughly 40,000 students from families that earn less than $60,000 per year are expected to receive enough increases in state financial aid to offset the tuition increase.
The tuition increase will cover the rapidly rising costs of health and retirement benefits for UW employees and help fund the system’s Growth Agenda, a plan to increase the number of four-year degree holders in Wisconsin. UW System budget official Freda Harris said the increase will help protect key instructional and support services, helping avoid an increase in class sizes and reductions in the number of faculty and classes offered.
The tuition increase means that in-state students at UW-Madison will pay $638 more next year, or $7,933 in tuition.