The Cost of College

Costs are top of mind for the typical college student — and that’s no different at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Record-high rent increases and rising tuition are shaping every aspect of student life, from nightlife to scholarships to where and how students live. Amid a tumultuous funding landscape, the cost of college is taking on new urgency.

What does the graduate experience look like when campus departments are ordered to cut their budgets by 5%? As rent climbs, where do students turn for housing — and can private apartments fill the gap, or does the university need to build another dorm? What responsibility does the university have to financially support its students? How can it update aging infrastructure, like the Mosse Humanities Building, without increased state funding? And how will AI reshape the job market — and the value of the degrees many students are pursuing?

These questions don’t yet have clear answers. But they are shaping a broader rethinking of higher education nationwide — and they’re the kinds of questions students, administrators, faculty and staff must confront as institutions adapt to a changing landscape.

The Daily Cardinal Management Team:

Noe Goldhaber, Editor-in-Chief

Nick Bumgardner, Managing Editor