The U-W Board of Regents has signed off on a plan to increase enrollment limits for out-of-state students.
The Board on Friday voted unanimously to increase the cap from 25 percent to 27.5 percent. The move is part of a compromise, which Regent Regina Millner says will also increase the number of freshmen admitted at the UW-Madison each year to 3,500 students.
Millner says the guarantee of record high Wisconsin freshmen enrollment will be paid for with the help of the tuition non-resident students will be charged to attend a UW school. Students from outside of Wisconsin pay more than double the in-state tuition rate, with the exception of Minnesota residents because of a reciprocity agreement with the Badger State.
The Board had initially proposed raising the cap to 30 percent, but cut the increase in half following criticism from lawmakers. Regent John Drew says the new cap recognizes the financial needs of the university, while giving more Wisconsin students an opportunity to attend the Madison campus. He says it shows the “UW System exists first and foremost for the benefit of Wisconsin residents.”
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:15)