The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents can save the financial crisis awaiting UW by simply waiving the requirement that, at most, 27.5 percent of the students enrolled at Madison come from out-of-state, opening the floodgates for thousands of additional out-of-Wisconsin students, paying out-of-state tuition, to embrace the Wisconsin experience.
Now, I’m a big a fan of having high standards of admission, but I’m an even bigger fan of not being more than $80,000 in debt upon graduation.
When I see my friends from Illinois or the East Coast I know they are worth much more than I am to UW, since tuition costs are nearly three times as high for those out-of-staters.
Even better still, in four years they’ll be four times as valuable than me, and if that keeps my tuition rate down, I’m all for it.
UW-Madison’s out-of-state tuition will increase by $10,000 over next four years
The permissive attitude UW is trying to take with out-of-state residents has been characterized by state Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, as “a decision to grab the money.”
That’s totally true. It would be incredible dumb for UW to not want to take easy money. Lions don’t attack the fittest gazelles, so why should UW?
This money grab has the added, unintended benefit of creating a diverse, omnipotent array of rich, white kids from the ‘burbs,’ seeing as this demographic is the only one able to afford such high tuition costs.
White kids from the suburbs of Chicago, Washington D.C. and any other major metropolitan area can thrive and compare backgrounds while at UW. After all, who goes to college to gain a new perspective on the world?
UW, though, isn’t doing all they can or should. Ads for UW targeting higher income neighborhoods across the country would certainly boost applications to UW from the people most suited to afford the bulging costs of college. These ads should emphasize the elite nature of UW, in academics and in the price tag.
UW can’t afford not to accept more out-of-state applicants. With no help from our state or federal government, charging extra for tuition is just good business.
Aaron Reilly ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring comparative literature and Russian.
