UW Regents Back Undergraduate Tuition Hike In 2018-19

University of Wisconsin System regents have given their support to an increase in undergraduate tuition for the 2018-19 academic year.

Under the resolution approved today at the regents’ meeting at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, tuition would remain at current levels for the next year, but would increase by no more than the rate of inflation as determined by the federal Consumer Price Index.

The plan passed without objection, though Regent Tim Higgins warned colleagues they would need to make sure lawmakers understood the reasoning behind the proposed tuition hikes.

“Just asking for a CPI increase kind of throws back to those days when it was just like, ‘we need some money, give us some more money,’” Higgins said. “As opposed to what I hope will be our future practice of saying, ‘we need some money, here’s why and here’s what we’ve done to mitigate our requests’ and things like that.”

Gov. Scott Walker has said he wants keep undergraduate tuition flat for at least one more year but hasn’t committed to a freeze beyond that.

Annual resident tuition at the system’s four-year campuses currently ranges from $9,273 at UW-Madison to $6,298 at UW-Green Bay and UW-Parkside. UW-Stout tuition is $234 but that institution charges per credit.