In-state undergraduate tuition and fees would go up by an average of $387 a year for the 2024-25 academic year under a proposal heading to the UW Board of Regents next week.
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman on Thursday announced the intent to raise tuition by 3.75%, saying the increase is in line with inflation and is necessary to maintain the UW system’s educational quality.
The exact increases would vary at the system’s 13 universities, according to information provided Thursday. All told, resident undergraduate students would see an average 3.8% increase in tuition and fees, including room and board costs. Certain high-cost programs at some universities also would increase, as well as tuition for graduate and nonresident undergraduate students.
Student fees, which fund on-campus clubs and services, will go up by an average of $74.
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“At the end of the day, just like a family can’t spend more than it brings in, our universities have to be in that position,” Rothman said. “In terms of this increase, since it’s comparable to inflation, all it is doing is, from an operating perspective, keeping us on par. It’s not allowing us to advance. It’s keeping us on par with the inflation that all of us have felt, including our universities.”
Most UW system universities were expected to have budget shortfalls, with the UW system facing a collective $58 million gap by July. Each university has developed its own strategy for eliminating those shortfalls by 2028; at some universities, that has involved painful cuts such as furloughs, early retirements and layoffs.
If approved by the UW Board of Regents at its April 4-5 meeting at UW-Platteville, this would be the second year in a row of tuition increases — both landing either at or below the rate of inflation. The state Legislature kept tuition frozen for eight years before lawmakers relinquished control of in-state tuition to the regents in 2021. They kept the freeze in place for an additional year before approving a 4.2% increase for this academic year.
It’s estimated the increase would generate an additional $39 million a year in revenue.
At UW-Madison, the cost of tuition and segregated fees is expected to increase by $389 over last year, while room rates and meal plans would increase by between $150 and $200, according to information provided by the UW system. All told, the increases represent a 3.2% increase over the current academic year, or $746.
At UW-Milwaukee, the UW system’s second-largest school, tuition and fees are expected to rise by $378 to $10,398. At the comprehensive campuses, tuition and fees costs are expected to go up between $274 and $506.
All told, UW-Milwaukee will see the highest overall increase, including room and board, of an additional $873 a year; UW-Stout and UW-Eau Claire have the next two largest overall increases, of $788 and $773, respectively. UW-Platteville will have the smallest percent increase for all costs, with a 2% increase for next year, or about $329.
Proposed cost for resident undergraduates to attend a Universities of Wisconsin school in FY25
UW Campus | Tuition | Fees | Room | Meal plan | TOTAL | Change over FY24 | % Change over FY24 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Madison | $10,006 | $1,597 | $7,633 | $4,500 | $23,736 | $746 | 3.2% |
Milwaukee | $8,772 | $1,626 | $6,545 | $4,680 | $21,623 | $873 | 4.2% |
Eau Claire | $7,931 | $1,711 | $5,540 | $3,571 | $18,754 | $773 | 4.3% |
Green Bay | $7,125 | $1,575 | $5,073 | $3,140 | $16,913 | $546 | 3.3% |
La Crosse | $8,333 | $1,563 | $4,556 | $3,054 | $17,506 | $684 | $4.1 |
Oshkosh | $7,061 | $1,471 | $5,309 | $3,760 | $17,601 | $450 | 2.6% |
Parkside | $6,978 | $1,292 | $5,149 | $3,264 | $16,683 | $738 | 4.6% |
Platteville | $7,126 | $1,299 | $5,220 | $3,310 | $16,955 | $329 | 2.0% |
River Falls | $7,121 | $1,703 | $4,952 | $2,990 | $16,766 | $717 | 4.5% |
Stevens Point | $7,378 | $1,670 | $5,050 | $3,750 | $17,849 | $675 | 3.9% |
Stout | $7,715 | $1,671 | $5,140 | $3,668 | $18,194 | $788 | 4.5% |
Superior | $7,082 | $1,731 | $4,751 | $3,146 | $16,710 | $569 | 3.5% |
Whitewater | $7,119 | $1,287 | $4,787 | $3,204 | $16,397 | $655 | 4.2% |
Average | $7,673 | $1,554 | $5,362 | $3,541 | $18,130 | $658 | 3.8% |
The increases come after a budget cycle in which the UW system received no additional state aid for its operations, despite asking for a $435.9 million increase in the state budget. UW system leaders were able to recoup millions in revenue for the universities, but only after striking a deal with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, on reclassifying a third of its diversity, equity and inclusion employees.
Much of the money the UW system will get back was already a part of the budget or is being given back to them. Last month, the Republican-controlled budget-writing committee released $32 million initially withheld from the UW system as part of the DEI deal to allow leaders to implement a workforce development plan that focuses on increasing programming in artificial intelligence, nursing and engineering. Pay raises for staff were released in late December after Vos also held them back as a way to pressure UW system leaders to eliminate DEI.
Reciprocity bill
And a new tuition reciprocity bill will give universities with high percentages of UW system students, including UW-River Falls and UW-Stout, an influx of cash. The new agreement allows them to keep any additional tuition paid over the in-state student rate instead of funneling it to the state’s general fund.
The UW system also will conduct another affordability review, with results expected this fall, Rothman said. Last done in 2022, that review showed that UW system schools were the most affordable across comparable universities in the Midwest.
“But we also appreciate that does not mean that we are affordable to all eligible students, and that is something that we need to continue to work on,” Rothman said. “We will remain vigilant on college affordability, as it is critical to ensuring our students can take advantage of the unlimited opportunities offered by the Universities of Wisconsin.”