The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents has approved limited tuition hikes for nine campuses. The increases will impact many graduate and out-of-state undergraduate students over the next two years.
Under the plan, students on the La Crosse, Milwaukee, Parkside, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point, Stout and Whitewater campuses will see increases of hundreds of dollars. Non-resident students and graduate students at the UW-Madison will see thousands of dollars in increases starting in the 2016 school year.
During a meeting on Friday, Regent Charles Pruitt said they are partly needed to help brace for expected funding cuts from the state, while also bringing the costs for targeted programs up to date with current market rates.
The increases passed on a voice vote, although state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers did raise some concerns about who they will impact. He worries many working educators trying to get an advanced degree could face financial difficulty, since they have been hit with stagnant wages in recent years. Evers said “all of those teacher and counselors, who could be facing 200 dollar a year increases, have not had any increase in their take home pay for several years.”
