(The Center Square) – A new report from the University of Wisconsin says tuition in the state is actually too low.
UW regents last week voted for a 2% tuition increase across the UW System, but the report from the university’s Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy said that tuition increase is modest at best.
“[The] 2% (about $210), [is] the fourth increase since a decade-long freeze ended in 2023, the report states. The debate treats this as a hardship; the data show the opposite. The resident price is too low, a legacy of political price control rather than market value.”
The 2% tuition hike will bring the cost of a year’s worth of tuition and fees at UW-Madison to more than $12,000 per-year. Tuition and fees at UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse will jump this fall to more than $10,000 per-year, and most other UW campuses will see tuition rise to just less than $10,000.
Regents and the CROWE report both say that is a bargain compared to other universities in other states.
At Ohio State, in-state tuition and fees average a little more than $14,000 a year, while Michigan residents pay more than $18,000 at University of Michigan. In-state tuition and fees at the University of Minnesota run $18,000, while the average cost at Indiana University is a little more than $12,000.
“At $12,166, resident tuition and fees are the 12th-lowest of the 38 public members of the Association of American Universities and well below the median of $14,726, even though U.S. News ranks UW–Madison 12th among public universities. Its research peers charge residents 51% to 73% more,” the report adds.
Tuition for out-of-state students is also rising, but the CROWE report said that’s not much of a concern.
“Nonresident tuition of $44,191 carries no taxpayer subsidy and is the closest available market price; residents pay just 28 cents on the dollar, the fourth-lowest share in the group and a discount near $32,000 a year,” the report noted.
The report, however, is not doing much to calm the anger over the University of Wisconsin’s fourth-straight tuition increase.
State Sen. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield, on Monday said the university should be looking to cut costs, not raise tuition.
“Since 2021, the UW System’s budget has grown from approximately $12.9 billion to nearly $15.9 billion, an increase that tracks inflation. The Legislature also provided an additional $256 million in taxpayer support in the most recent state budget. Yet students and families are now facing a fourth consecutive tuition increase, putting a first-class UW education further out of reach for many deserving families,” Hutton said.
Hutton and other Republicans at the Capitol say the tuition increase is even more insulting when costs are going up largely to continue paying for extra layers of university administrators.
“The challenge facing the UW System is not simply one of resources. It is whether we are willing to undertake the reforms necessary to make the System stronger, more responsive, and more affordable over the long term. That includes streamlining bureaucracy, reducing unnecessary duplication across campuses, modernizing governance, and ensuring programs align with the needs of today’s students and Wisconsin employers,” Hutton added in a statement.
