Democratic lawmakers introduced a package of bills on Oct. 9 hoping to strengthen Wisconsin’s higher education system, by ensuring college in Wisconsin is both affordable and accessible for in-state students.
The legislative package includes $40 million in new funding for advising and retention as well as a “tuition promise” scholarship program for low- and middle-income students attending other University of Wisconsin campuses aside from University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Student success, workforce gains bill
The proposal directs $40 million of funding — split evenly between the University of Wisconsin System and technical college system — focuses on helping students finish their degrees and avoid the burden of student loans.
“Where it's truly devastating is when people put 2-3 years into school, have the loans and for whatever reason need to leave school without finishing that degree,” Rep. Jodi Emerson, D-Eau Claire, told The Daily Cardinal. “We want students to finish their degrees and use it to get a better job, and then pay it forward to the next generation.”
Improving retention rates is key to strengthening Wisconsin’s workforce and keeping graduates in the state, Emerson said.
The bill allows each campus to determine how to use the funds in ways that best support its students. The funding, distributed through grants, could go towards academic advising, career counseling or new retention programs.
“A higher education degree whether its two years, four years or from a technical school is needed for our state to succeed,” Emerson said, adding supporting students with a wide range of skills — from engineers to medical technicians — is crucial to the bill’s sponsors.
Democratic legislators are seeking bipartisan support as the bill moves forward, but Republican lawmakers on the Committees for Universities and Technical Colleges declined to comment at this time.
“I hope that everybody can get behind student success and retention," Emerson said. “Wisconsin is better when everyone succeeds.”
Wisconsin tuition promise
The second proposed bill aims to expand the “tuition promise” program statewide by covering the costs of tuition for in-state students from households with an adjusted gross income of $71,000 or less.
If passed, the bill would work as a “last dollar” grant administered by the UW System Board of Regents, filling the costs of tuition after federal aid and scholarships.
Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, a co-sponsor of the bill, said she hopes that extending the program to all UW System schools will benefit every single young person in Wisconsin who has the work ethic to go to college, but not the “deep pockets.”
UW-Madison administers “Bucky’s Tuition Promise,” which guarantees scholarships and grants to pay for tuition for incoming first year and transfer students in Wisconsin whose household adjusted gross income is under $65,000.
Roys said Bucky’s tuition promise has given students the ability to change the trajectory of their lives and this bill will extend that opportunity to the rest of the state.
“Madison provides a wonderful education, but so do all of our campuses,” Roys said. “Ultimately, it benefits all of us and our economy if young people are able to pursue a career that will help them support their families and contribute to the state.”
In the past, the Republican-controlled legislature rejected a proposal to fund the Wisconsin Tuition Promise. The UW System funded the program themselves in 2023 and will reinstate it in 2025.
While the bill still faces policy discussion and debate in a Republican-led state legislature, Roys said she hopes to have a “pro-education” legislature next session.
“Every child in Wisconsin should have the full range of opportunity to pursue a career and further education, whether that’s in military, trade, learning, or going to one of our great technical colleges or one of our UW campuses,” Roys said.
Shane Colpoys is a sports editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has written in-depth on the Wisconsin women's hockey team beat.
