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Tuition rally draws 500

September 15, 1999

About 500 UW–Madison students walked out of classes Wednesday afternoon, demanding a tuition freeze and increased state funding for the university.

For context, here are some facts about UW–Madison tuition:

  • Tuition increases for the 1999-2000 academic year will be offset for students receiving federal or state financial aid as part of the Madison Initiative.
  • About 4,200 undergraduates – those receiving a Pell grant or a Wisconsin Higher Education Grant – will receive $300 scholarships from the Vilas Trust to offset the $289 tuition increase on the Madison campus.
  • For resident undergraduates, that means they will pay $11 less in tuition than last year. For out-of-state undergraduates, the scholarship will offset the tuition increase attributed to the Madison Initiative.
  • The scholarships ensure that access to UW–Madison is not compromised. Even with the tuition increase, UW–Madison still ranks second to last in tuition costs in the Big 10, at $3,290. Only the University of Iowa is lower.
  • Of the $145-per-semester increase, approved July 19 by the UW System Board of Regents, $41 each semester will go to the Madison Initiative, the innovative public-private partnership proposed by Chancellor David Ward to maintain and enhance the university’s competitiveness in the new millenium.
  • The $50-million, student-centered proposal will match money from the UW Foundation and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation with state tax revenue and tuition over four years to recruit and retain key faculty; increase financial aid; improve research and instructional programs; renovate and maintain aging buildings; and meet general academic needs, such as advising and libraries.
  • Overall, tuition will increase 9.6 percent at UW–Madison and 6.9 percent at the other four-year UW schools. The 2.7 percent difference at Madison will go towards the Madison Initiative.
  • Student fees will total $445 at UW–Madison for 1999-2000, a 10.1 percent increase, most of which is attributable to student-approved spending measures. Room and board will cost $4,341, a 3.2 percent increase.