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UW's 2% Tuition Hike
Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol are angry that the University of Wisconsin is raising tuition for the fourth straight year.
The UW on Monday announced another tuition increase for students this fall.
“The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents will consider a proposal this week to increase resident undergraduate tuition by 2 percent for the 2026–27 academic year,” the school said in a statement.
The increase will push the cost of tuition and fees at UW-Madison to just over $12,000 a-year. UW-Milwaukee will likely see tuition jump to over $11,000 a-year. UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse will see tuition cross the $10,000 per-year mark. The cheapest campuses will likely be Whitewater at about $8,900 a-year, and Parkside at just above $8,800.
“This is a measured increase that helps our universities continue providing strong student support and high-quality academic experiences while keeping a UW education among the most affordable in the Midwest," UW Interim President Renée Wachter said.
But that justification is not enough for Republican lawmakers.
“On top of passing a 5 percent tuition increase last year and receiving $256 million in our most recent state budget, UW is now planning to raise tuition and housing costs even higher to pay for its institutional staffing bloat," Sen Eric Wimberger, R-Gillett, said Monday. "Compared to ten years ago, UW has 2,400 more non-faculty staff positions on its payroll yet 16,000 fewer students in its classrooms."
Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Steven Point, was even angrier.
"It is downright appalling that UW Board of Regents President Amy Blumenfeld Bogost and Regent Timothy Nixon straight up lied to all our faces when they testified in front of the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges in April and told us they were not going to be raising tuition again," Testin said in a statement. “At least we now know that we can no longer take the UW Board of Regents at their word.”
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