Wisconsin students who want to attend UW-Madison and have a family income of $56,000 or less are now eligible to have four years of tuition and segregated fees covered by the university, Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced Thursday.
Bucky’s Tuition Promise also includes in-state transfer students, who will receive two years of tuition and segregated fee coverage. Once all four classes have access to Bucky’s Tuition Promise, the university will be spending a total of $3.3 million per year on the guarantee.
According to the release, there is no separate application process for those who will benefit from the program. Rather, eligibility is based on a family’s adjusted gross income (AGI) and the money is a guarantee for those who qualify as determined by information from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
“We know there’s a perception that UW–Madison is financially out of reach for some of our Wisconsin families, and we know this keeps some high school students in our state from applying here,” Blank said. “We don’t want this to be the case any longer. Going forward, we are removing the cost of tuition as a barrier for these families.”
Additionally, students who receive aid from Bucky’s Tuition Promise may still be eligible for other grants, scholarships and student loans that cover housing and food.
“Many low- and middle-income families in Wisconsin are simply uncertain whether they can afford to send their child to UW–Madison,” Blank said. “Our goal is to ensure that anyone who is admitted can afford to be a Badger.”
Bucky’s Tuition Promise will start in fall 2018 for incoming freshmen and transfer students. The university estimates that more than 800 students in each new class will be covered.
