University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman announced a proposal to increase resident undergraduate tuition by 3.75% in a Thursday morning press release.
The proposal will be considered by the UW Board of Regents on April 4. It comes after the Board of Regents approved a 4% resident undergraduate tuition increase in March 2023 and would be the second straight year of UW System tuition increases after a ten-year tuition freeze, according to the press release.
At UW-Madison, combined resident undergraduate tuition and segregated fees will raise from $11,216 to $11,604 starting for the 2024-25 academic year, according to the release. Average segregated fees will increase by $74 per year.
The total proposed average cost of attendance for resident undergraduates across the UW System will increase 3.8% with room and board included, according to the release.
Seven universities are proposing additional increases on top of the 3.75% to fund “specific needs” like advising, financial aid and faculty hiring for high demand programs, according to the release.
Rothman said the tuition increase mirrors recent inflation.
“Our universities are facing challenging economic realities, and students and parents should know that we plan to be good financial stewards,” Rothman said. “Maintaining our affordability advantage, especially compared to our peers, is a priority because we want more students to get access to the unlimited opportunities our universities provide.”
The move comes as the UW System grapples with closures of some two-year campuses and budget deficits at many of its four-year universities, with many attempting to combat falling enrollment. Some students point to increased costs as a continual concern in how they and their peers consider which university they want to attend.
Rothman also requested an updated affordability review for this fall. The previous 2022 review found UW System schools were the most affordable in the Midwest, according to the press release.
Totals for undergraduate tuition and segregated fees in 2024-25 can be viewed below:
- UW-Eau Claire: $9,643
- UW-Green Bay: $8,700
- UW-La Crosse: $9,896
- UW-Madison: $11,604
- UW-Milwaukee: $10,398
- UW Oshkosh: $8,532
- UW-Parkside: $8,271
- UW-Platteville: $8,425
- UW-River Falls: $8,824
- UW-Stevens Point: $9,049
- UW-Stout: $9,386
- UW-Superior: $8,813
- UW-Whitewater: $8,406
Liam Beran is the former campus news editor for The Daily Cardinal and a third-year English major. He has written in-depth on higher-education issues and covered state news. He is a now a summer LGBTQ+ news fellow with The Nation. Follow him on Twitter at @liampberan.
