UW System approves resident undergraduate tuition increase; says first in 10 years

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved Thursday a tuition and fee increased that will affect UW System students, including resident undergraduate students, systemwide.

According to information released Thursday by the system, the increase is the first made to resident graduate tuitions and fees over the last 10 years.

Systemwide, students will begin paying the increased tuition rates and fees beginning with the 2023-24 school year.

The recommendation to increase the rates and fees was announced in a news release on March 17 by University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman.

According to the earlier release, the average 5% increase in resident undergraduate tuition and fees proposal was brought before the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities, at which time members learned that, under the proposed plan, the exact increase would vary at each of the 13 UW System universities.

“Overall, the increase in cost of attendance for resident undergraduates would average 4.2% across the UW System when room and board is included,” the release stated.

According to information Released Thursday, “the approved recommendation provides for adjustments in tuition and segregated fees that vary by university, but average 4.9% — or $404 — for resident undergraduates.

“Accounting for an average 3.5% increase in room and board rates, the average increase to the overall total cost of attendance for Wisconsin resident undergraduate students at the four-year campuses would be 4.2% — or $706.”

In making the recommendation, according to the release, Rothman told Regents the system is guided by two priorities: “to remain affordable for students and to continue to deliver an outstanding educational experience in a financial sustainable manner, and that maintaining longterm financial viability requires both securing additional revenue as well as strict expense management.”

Within the release, Regent Scott Beightol, chairman of the Business and Finance Committee, noted that “several universities also propose to increase program-specific differentials in certain fields of study.”

Identified programs had several factors in common, the chairman noted, according to the release, including: a high cost to deliver; a high demand from prospective students, but with a lack of resources to expand enrollment, and graduates from the programs are in high demand by employers. Such programs were identified as nursing, computer science and engineering.

He noted, the release stated, that tuition rates for resident students have “been held flat” over the last 10 years while inflation has increased.

Additionally, Beightol reportedly noted within the release that the system’s “GPR tuition and auxiliary fund balances” even with the approved increase, were still projected to decrease. The system has plans to continue to look at “operational expenses and drive efficiencies,” he said.

“It is also essential for us as regents to be responsible stewards of the value of a UW education, which means we must be mindful of both the affordability and the quality we offer to students,” Beightol was quoted as saying in the release.

A link to the “Fiscal Year 2023-24 Tuition and Auxiliary Rate Recommendations” report produced by the Board of Regents’ Business and Finance Committee,” and included within the news release on March 30 is here: http://fortatkinsononline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Item-9.-2023-24-Recommendation-of-Tuition-and-Auxiliary-Rates-FINAL.pdf.

Proposed plan outlined March 17

Within the March 17 release, Rothman said: “We are an incredible value compared to our peers, and we know that an investment in higher education pays off in the long run with higher earnings and more career mobility. The strength of the UW System rests in the quality of education it provides to its students, and that is done through sound investment.”

The release noted that “a UW System affordability review in August found that a University of Wisconsin System education is affordable for most students, including in comparison to national averages, peers, and other Midwestern universities.”

Within the release, Rothman noted: “It is unsustainable to continue a decade-long tuition freeze, even as costs have increased and inflation has accelerated. This modest tuition increase will help our universities continue to provide students with a world-class education, produce the talent that makes Wisconsin’s workforce succeed, and spark innovation and vitality in our communities.”

As provided within the March 13 release, the proposed resident undergraduate tuition and fees for each university in 2023-24 are as follows:

• UW-Eau Claire: $9,137

• UW-Green Bay: $8,342

• UW-La Crosse: $9,477

• UW-Madison: $11,215

• UW-Milwaukee: $10,020

• UW Oshkosh: $8,258

• UW-Parkside: $7,855

• UW-Platteville: $8,096

• UW-River Falls: $8,425

• UW-Stevens Point: $8,674

• UW-Stout: $8,888