The Universities of Wisconsin are proposing a two-year tuition freeze beginning in 2027 if state lawmakers approve a $190 million increase on top of the UW System’s $730 million budget request.
University officials said the plan would make college tuition more affordable while giving students and families greater certainty about future costs.
Board of Regents President Kyle Weatherly and Interim UW System President Renee Wachter announced the unanimous approval of the proposed 4-Year Tuition Pledge by the Board of Regents to be in the budget on Aug. 20. The proposal would be a significant change for students following the fourth consecutive tuition increase in June, when in-state tuition rose 2%.
The 4-Year Tuition pledge would include a 2-year tuition freeze during the 2027-2029 biennium, followed by two additional years where tuition increases would be capped at the rate of inflation. If the proposal passes, students entering a UW System school in fall 2027 would have four years of predictable tuition costs.
The additional $190 million in state funding would help cover operating costs, a problem Regents have cited in recent school closures.
Six UW System campuses have closed in recent years, and UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County is next after former University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman ordered UW-Platteville to cease degree programs at its Richland Center campus.
UW-Platteville’s Richland Branch closed in July 2023, followed by program closures at UW-Green Bay Marinette, UW-Milwaukee Washington County, UW-Oshkosh Fond du Lac, UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities and UW-Milwaukee Waukesha between 2024 and 2025. In May, UW-Stevens Point relocated their Wausau branch to a nearby technical college.
If the Legislature does not approve the funding, UW officials said a tuition increase may be necessary for the fifth consecutive year.
“To make the 4-Year Tuition Pledge a reality and deliver the quality of education students deserve and parents expect, we need a state partner to fund ongoing operational expenses and help us, as was done for previous generations, fund basic education costs,” Weatherly said.
The proposal would pair the 4-Year Tuition Pledge and the Wisconsin Work and Learn Program, an initiative intended to reduce financial barriers and increase workforce readiness. Together, the programs are intended to strengthen Wisconsin’s economy while making college more affordable.
The Wisconsin Work and Learn Program provides full tuition for families earning at or below Wisconsin’s median household income if the student participates in career preparation opportunities and campus jobs.
“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,” Wachter said.
Currently, Wisconsin uses a two-year budget cycle that happens in odd-numbered years. The active state budget covers July 2025 through June 2027. The Governor will then present the new budget proposal in Feb. 2027, and the legislature will vote on the budget before July 2027.
According to Weatherly, the proposal “represents an important commitment to Wisconsin families and helps ensure the Universities of Wisconsin remain the Midwest leader in tuition affordability."
