Wednesday, Mar. 8, 2023
Has the University of Wisconsin System proposed a tuition increase of 5%?
On March 2, 2023 University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman announced plans to raise tuition by 5% for the next academic year.
The proposed increase must be approved by the UW Board of Regents. It would be Wisconsin's first tuition increase in a decade since it was frozen at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year under then-Gov. Scott Walker.
In 2021, Republicans who run the Legislature lifted the freeze and gave tuition-setting control back to the board, which has declined to increase tuition the past two years. Rothman said a 5% increase would amount to an estimated $38 million annually. UW-Madison has the highest annual tuition at $9,273.36, not counting student fees, housing or meals.
Shortly before Rothman's announcement, Republican lawmakers proposed capping tuition increases at the previous year's rate of inflation. Gov. Tony Evers' 2023-25 budget does not specifically factor in a tuition freeze as he did in two prior budget proposals.
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