The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents passed UW President Jay Rothman’s proposal to increase tuition for resident undergraduate students by 3.75% for the 2024-25 academic year by voice vote Thursday.
After room and board costs are considered, the expected increase in tuition will be approximately 3.8%, Chair of the Business and Finance Committee Regent Ashok Rai said during the April 4 meeting. For non-resident undergraduate students, tuition increases vary by university but are expected to be equal to or greater than the increase for resident undergraduates.
The tuition increase is intended to combat recent economic challenges faced by the universities, according to a press release from the Universities of Wisconsin. The increase will match recent levels of inflation, Rai said.
This is the second straight year of tuition increases for undergraduate residents in the UW System, the press release said. A 4% increase was approved for the 2023-24 academic year, according to a press release from March 2023.
Tuition increases are vital to ensure UW has the necessary funds to purchase educational materials to support the student body, Rai said. State funding supports only 70% of the costs necessary to maintain a high quality education and resources. Therefore, campus budgets continue to face financial pressure due to decreases in tuition balances even with revenue from tuition increases.
Regent Jill Underly expressed concern over the increase, explaining that part of the reason tuition is rising is due to funding choices in the Wisconsin State Legislature.
“The reason that we have to continue to cut and also raise tuition and other revenue sources is because they [the Wisconsin State Legislature] have routinely neglected to put those investments back into our school systems, whether it’s universities or K-12,” Underly said. “It is a burden on our system and it’s a burden on our students but certainly our State Legislature could be doing something different about that.”
A 2022 tuition review found the UW System remained the most affordable in the Midwest compared to its peers, according to a March 28 press release. An updated review will be released fall 2024 to ensure UW maintains its affordability following the most recent hike.
The increase was designed to offer an affordable education to students while maintaining an “exceptional faculty,” Rai said, with the ultimate goal of funneling UW graduates into high demand fields and benefiting Wisconsin’s workforce.
“The committee believes this is a reasonable and responsible proposal that takes into account several factors,” Rai said. “The 3.8% average increase in cost of attendance for resident students is in line with the recent levels of inflation, which continue to reduce purchasing power at the universities for goods and services necessary to meet the needs of students.”
