University of Wisconsin System to consider raising nonresident, graduate tuition

MADISON — University of Wisconsin System regents will consider raising tuition for nonresident students and graduate students at a pair of meetings later this week.

The regents' business committee is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to impose increases ranging between 1.5% and 25% at Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point and Whitewater beginning this fall. The schools say the new revenue would cover rising costs of instruction, pay raises, recruiting, technology and training clinical professionals.

Committee approval would send the proposal to the full Board of Regents on Friday.

Republican lawmakers have kept tuition frozen for in-state undergraduates since 2013. System officials have complained the freeze has hamstrung them financially and have tried to make up the lost revenue by raising out-of-state and graduate students' tuition.

Milwaukee wants to increase tuition for graduate students studying occupational therapy and communication disorders by 25%, the biggest increase sought for any graduate program among the six institutions, according to regent documents.

Milwaukee, Platteville and Whitewater are looking to increase nonresident undergraduate tuition between 1% and 3%. Milwaukee wants to raise it $295 to $19,955; Platteville wants to go up $424 to $14,690; and Whitewater wants to increase $150 to $15,390.