Regents approve increase in nonresident undergraduate tuition

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s nonresident undergraduate tuition will increase $743 for the 2022-23 academic year under a plan approved Friday by the UW System Board of Regents.

Resident undergraduate tuition and fees will remain $10,766, the level at which tuition was frozen in 2012. Graduate and professional school tuition levels for residents and non-residents will also be unchanged in 2022-23.

Chancellor Rebecca Blank says that the decision to increase tuition is not taken lightly, but is necessary to maintain access and keep tuition affordable for Wisconsin students.

“Our commitment to Wisconsin, along with high-quality education and research opportunities, campus services and amenities we offer to undergraduates, requires that we set nonresident tuition at a competitive market rate,” Blank says.

The 2 percent increase, which is well below the current rate of inflation, will generate about $8 million in revenue to support undergraduate education across UW–Madison, including increasing access to high-demand courses. A part of the funds will be used to support need-based aid and to provide new teaching positions to support increased enrollment. The additional revenue will provide additional student support in areas such as academic advising that help reduce time to degree.

For the fifth straight year, well over half – 57.2% — of UW–Madison’s graduating seniors did not take out student loans while pursuing their undergraduate degree.  In less than 10 years, the number of UW–Madison undergraduates graduating without student loan debt has grown by nearly 10 percentage points.

Among those graduating seniors who did borrow, the average student loan debt ($27,107) is slightly lower than it was for the previous graduating class ($27,173), putting UW–Madison’s student borrowing rates and average graduate debt below peer rates, based on the most recent available national and statewide data.