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Initiative could bring more tuition hikes, aid
Martin’s plan will single out families making over $80k
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University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin announced to a group of student leaders Tuesday an initiative to create differential tuition for all UW undergraduates to increase financial aid and the number of faculty positions.
The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, which will go to the UW System Board of Regents for approval in May, would increase in-state tuition by $250 and out-of-state tuition by $750 per year over a four-year period. This amounts to a $2,500 and $7,500 increase for in-state and out-of-state students respectively over the course of four years.
Students coming from families that make less than $80,000 a year would receive grants to offset the cost.
This increase would be applied to only UW-Madison, and further increases of 5 to 6 percent are expected to come from the UW System in the coming years. However, the system increase would also be offset by separate UW System grants for lower- and middle-income students.
According to Martin, funding generated from the initiative through private fundraising and the tuition increase would allow the addition of faculty, instructional support and student services and an increase in need-based financial aid of at least $20 million.
“The two things I care most about are undergraduate education and undergraduate experience and affordability,” Martin said during a presentation at the Olin House Tuesday night. “I think we need work in both areas, and that work needs to begin now.”
By the 2013-14 academic year, projections show tuition and required fees rates hitting $11,447 for in-state students and $32,862 for out-of-state students. This is still less than the projected median for Big Ten schools, which UW currently lags behind.
Martin said the university is aiming to maintain a tuition rate at the median of its peer group and to continue to increase aid available to students.
“The fact is we don’t have enough low- and middle-class students, and we have to do something about it,” Martin said.
Frances Taylor, vice chair of the UW Foundation, said she likes the initiative because it would increase scholarship opportunities for current freshmen and sophomores who would not normally get aid.
He went on to say the UW Foundation has earmarked an extra $20 million to match dollar-for-dollar any open donations made to the initiative.
Sol Grosskopf, campus safety initiatives coordinator and a UW senior, said he is hesitant to support the initiative until further details on the implications it will have for students’ educational experiences are provided.
“Ultimately, I hope the students really take this opportunity to make their voice heard,” Grosskopf said. “This is a very important initiative that is going to affect every student on campus, whether they are going to be receiving money or having money taken away from them. At this point I would say research it more, look at it. Don’t make a rash decision.”
A public forum on the initiative will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in Ingraham Hall. An additional forum sponsored by ASM will take place March 30 at 4 p.m. in Gordon Commons.
Students interested in participating are invited to visit http://madisoninitiative.wisc.edu/ for more details.
— Tom Schalmo contributed to this report.
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Does ‘Biddy’ assume that all students coming from families making more the $80k have their tuition paid by their parents?
Actually, it amounts to $1000 dollar increase for in-state and $3000 for out of state. 250x4=1000, silly journalism majors!
Actually it’s $250 added cumulatively each year. So if you say you start with baseline as 0 year 1 +250 from baseline year 2 +500 from baseline year 3 +750 from baseline year 4 +1000 from baseline. So over four years tuition will raise $2500 from baseline.
Actually the $250 increase is cumulative. So $250 the first year, $500 the next, $750 for the third year and $1000 for the 4th.
8:24… $250 increase per year.. meaning year 1: $250, year 2, $500, year 3, $750, $1000… that’s $2500 over what you’re paying now… silly annoymous message board posters who can’t do math
To Anonymous @ 8:24 am: actually it’s cumulative, so the journalism majors are correct. Basically, we’ll be paying $250 more than now next year, $500 more than now the year after that, then $750 more than now the year after that, and $1000 more than now the year after that. $250 + $500 + $750 + $1000= $2500 more
I will get behind any initiative that keeps the Long Island princesses out.
Just because my parents make over 80k a year does NOT mean they are paying my tuition. This is BULLSHIT. Thanks for punishing me for my parents success. And once again I will get no financial aid, thus screwing me over more. Thanks Biddy.
Having attended the listening session last night, they made it very clear that it would only be $1000 ($250 x 4) over four years, not $2500 ($250 + $500 + $750 + 1000).
The timing of these tuition hikes is horrible. This isn’t what we need during a recession. I have 2 other siblings in college right now as well, and my family’s resources are stretched thin as it is. Thanks, Biddy.
“The two things I care most about are undergraduate education and undergraduate experience and affordability, First of all Biddy, that’s technically three things. Second of all, just because a students family makes over $80,000 doesn’t mean the student is seeing a dime of that money. If Biddy really cared about affordability, she would be looking for ways to decrease cost, not increase it.
Right on 7:15. Seriously i would say the majority of students have parents that make more than 80,000 cumulative but a very small minority of those students get their tuition paid for by their parents. That would help the undergraduates start their career off right with even more debt…yes.
I agree with 7:15 - My family has an income of over 80 grand, but I still am paying for school almost completely by myself. If I were looking for schools (as an out of state) high schooler right now there is no way I would be considering Wisco. $32,000? for TUITION?? No thanks, I’ll go to Northwestern if I’m going to pay that kinda money
My parents make over 80,000 but I pay my own tuition and rent…apparently like many others. I was accepted to several other big ten schools, but I chose Madison because it was the most affordable, especially since I have been a Wisconsin resident my entire life. The worst thing Wiley did while I was a student and he was the chancellor was banning Swingtown at football games. Biddy is really starting off on the wrong foot with students by making an advanced education even less affordable for those of us who get little to no financial aid, but can’t be declared as independent because they need their parents’ health insurance.
We all love capitalism until we’re the losers, eh whiners?