UW System Will Freeze Tuition for 2 Years If State Invests $190 Million
4-Year Tuition Pledge and work to learn programs announced ahead of 2027 budget negotiations.
Students on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus. Photo courtesy of UW-Whitewater
Tuition at Wisconsin’s public university system will be frozen for the 2027-29 biennium if the Legislature agrees to invest $190 million in the Universities of Wisconsin.
Board of Regents President Kyle Weatherly and UW system Interim President Renée Wachter announced the 4-Year Tuition Pledge Monday to reporters.
Under the plan, the UW campuses would also promise to cap tuition at the rate of inflation for two years following the tuition freeze.
But system officials said the pledge may be dependent on increased funding from the state.
Weatherly said if the Legislature and Wisconsin’s next governor don’t commit to the $190 million investment during budget negotiations in the fall, it would be difficult to not increase tuition in 2027.
“We have the same inflationary pressures that every other business, every other organization in the country is under right now,” Weatherly said. “In addition to that, we need to fund our payroll increases that are set by the state.”
In June, the Board of Regents approved a 2 percent in-state undergraduate tuition increase and a 3.5 percent average fee increase for the 2026–27 academic year, marking the fourth consecutive annual hike.
On Monday, Weatherly and Wachter also announced Wisconsin Work and Learn. The program would eliminate tuition for in-state students whose families earn at or below the median household income, in exchange for a commitment to work, internships, apprenticeships or career preparation.
Watcher said the program helps ensure that cost is not a barrier to opportunity.
“Together, the 4-Year Tuition Pledge and Wisconsin Work and Learn would provide families with greater certainty, remove financial barriers for thousands of students, and reaffirm Wisconsin’s longstanding belief that talent and hard work, not financial circumstances, should determine a student’s opportunity to succeed,” Watcher said.
Over the last week Watcher and UW system leaders have toured the state to gain traction for the 2027-2029 budget proposal that will be presented to the Legislature and governor in the fall.
The UW System has announced a slate of budget proposals aimed at boosting the state’s workforce, economy and access to healthcare.
The university system is seeking $240 million for programs that it says would train 300,000 workers and create 2,500 new businesses. Another $90 million would go to expand programs for healthcare professionals.
UW System will freeze tuition for 2 years if state invests $190M was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
