Students at UW schools will have to wait until next month to find out what their tuition will be this fall.
With the state budget still undecided, UW System spokesman Dave Giroux says the Board of Regents will wait until August to set tuition rates for the fall semester. That's because the Regents don't feel they have enough information about the budget at this time to determine their operating costs for the coming year.
The Assembly is expected to take up the budget this Tuesday, but it could still be weeks before the plan is finalized. Giroux says the board will have to act in early August, even if the state budget isn't done. He says the budget must be approved before school begins and bills have to go out to incoming and returning students.
Giroux says the proposal submitted to the state would result in a $198 increase at the UW-Madison and a $150 increase on 11 other campuses. However, the final budget could raise or lower those amounts. The goal of waiting is to make sure students are not overcharged for tuition or don't have to pay a higher amount later on if the budget is delayed beyond August.
Giroux says a decision early next month should give campuses enough time to send out tuition bills before the semester begins.
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (MP3 1:10)
