(The Center Square) – Resident undergraduate tuition in the University of Wisconsin System could increase by 5% at most of its universities if the plan is approved by the Board of Regents on Thursday.
The plan calls for a base 4% undergraduate tuition increase with an optional 1% increase that will be used by all of the schools except UW-Green Bay, University of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said.
UW-River Falls, meanwhile, will see a 5.8% increase.
“Preserving quality while maintaining our ability to be a leader on tuition affordability in the Midwest is a top priority,” Rothman said. “After a decade of a tuition freeze and lagging state aid, we believe we have struck a balance for students and families with this proposal and the recent state investments in the UWs as part of the 2025-27 biennial budget.”
The new state budget included a two-year $256 million budget increase. That increase included $100 million for campuses statewide, $94 million to increase staff wages and $54 million to help retain and recruit faculty and staff in “high-demand fields of study.”
The school said that resident undergraduate tuition increased 7.7% from 2015 to 2025.
Resident undergraduate tuition and segregated fees would now be led by UW-Madison at $12,166 followed by UW-Milwaukee at $10,916, UW-La Crosse at $10,360, UW-Eau Claire at $10,067, UW-Stout at $9,859, UW-Stevens Point at $9,477, UW-Superior at $9,272 and UW-River Falls at $9,249.
That is followed by UW-Oshkosh at $8,993, UW-Green Bay at $8,985, UW-Whitewater at $8,819, UW-Platteville at $8,812 and UW-Parkside at $8,658.
State funding represents about one-fifth of the funding for the schools.
“Thankfully, the governor and legislature approved a significant budget increase, the largest in over two decades, which enables us to preserve access and affordability,” Rothman said. “Our public universities have become tuition-dependent due to lagging state funding in prior years, and the turnaround this budget cycle will help us continue providing educational opportunities to the next generation of Wisconsinites.”
