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Universities of Wisconsin tuition increase
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents on Thursday unanimously approved a tuition increase that takes effect this fall.
MILWAUKEE - The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents on Thursday unanimously approved a tuition increase that takes effect this fall.
Tuition hike
What we know:
Resident undergraduate tuition at most UW schools will go up 5%, which is $500 or less depending on the campus, for the 2025-2026 academic year. The exception is UW-Green Bay, where tuition will only increase 4%.
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Further, the system said UW-River Falls sought an additional increase as part of an ongoing effort to support student success initiatives, which would bring its resident undergraduate increase to 5.8%.
What they're saying:
Critics worry the tuition hike will worsen drops in enrollment and put students further into debt, but school administrators said tuition has not kept up with inflation.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
"It’s pretty messed up, but I got it. I’m not worried about it," said Devon Moore, a UW-Milwaukee parent. "You gotta do what you gotta do. They raise tuition, you got to handle your business. Keep it going and do some extra stuff, get a second job or something."
Moore has helped three of his kids graduate from the Universities of Wisconsin. Now, his fourth and final is getting ready to start at UW-Milwaukee – with higher tuition.
"I’m proud that they did, because I didn’t. I didn’t even graduate high school," he said.
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This will be the third year in a row with tuition increases after the state froze tuition from 2014 through 2023.
"The fact that we are that low tuition, low state support institution, it does constrain our ability to continue the current services that we offer, as well as make strategic investments going forward," said the university system's Julie Gordon.
"We do have long-term effects of the 10-year freeze. That freeze lasted from 2014-2023. And some people might say that’s in the past, let’s move past it, let’s move forward, but it really does impact where we are today and the financial situation our campuses are in today."
Resident undergraduate rates
By the numbers:
Total resident undergraduate tuition and segregated fees for each university in 2025-26, as outlined in the proposal, are as follows in alphabetical order:
- UW-Eau Claire: $10,067
- UW-Green Bay: $8,985
- UW-La Crosse: $10,360
- UW-Madison: $12,166
- UW-Milwaukee: $10,916
- UW-Oshkosh: $8,993
- UW-Parkside: $8,658
- UW-Platteville: $8,812
- UW-River Falls: $9,249
- UW-Stevens Point: $9,477
- UW-Stout: $9,859
- UW-Superior: $9,272
- UW-Whitewater: $8,819
For UW-Milwaukee, the increase approved Thursday is about $439. Tuition at UW-Madison increased by $500.
"I’m already trying to pay for last semester, I’m working," said Sasha Henderson, a UW-Milwaukee student. "I feel like, I’m not going to lie, that’s ridiculous…it feels like all the time with this bureaucracy, it’s like, ‘Where’s the money going?’"
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Tuition and funding
Big picture view:
So how does this compare with other states' tuition?
The flagship universities of Michigan cost around $17,000 with tuition and fees. In Minnesota and Illinois, it's around $18,000. The cost in all three of those neighboring states is several thousand dollars more than UW-Madison.
Local perspective:
The approved tuition hike comes after Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who control the state Legislature reached a budget deal that included increased funding for the system.
The Universities of Wisconsin estimated the new tuition increase will bring the system an extra $49 million per year. At the same time, the state budget is increasing money to the universities: $256 million more over two years, the largest funding increase in about two decades.
UW Regents has asked for an $855 million overall increase. In June, Republicans who control the state Legislature floated the possibility of cuts.
The Source: The Universities of Wisconsin released information about the proposed tuition increase. Information related to the biennial state budget is from prior reporting from FOX6 News and The Associated Press.