Regent committee OKs nonresident, grad tuition increases

MADISON — A University of Wisconsin System's regent committee signed off Thursday on a plan to raise tuition for nonresident undergraduates and graduate schools across six schools.

The regent business committee approval the package on a voice vote during a meeting at UW-Madison. The full Board of Regents is scheduled to take a final vote on the increases Friday.

The plan calls for increases ranging between 1.5% and 25% at UW-Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point, and Whitewater starting this fall. The schools say they need more money to cover instruction, raises, recruiting faculty, technology and training clinical professionals.

Republican lawmakers have kept tuition frozen for in-state undergraduates since 2013. System officials have long complained that the freeze has hamstrung them financially and has tried to compensate by raising out-of-state and graduate tuition over the years.

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 want to increase nonresident undergraduate tuition between 1% and 3%.