Madison Reporter

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents has approved a 5% tuition increase for undergraduate students at most Universities of Wisconsin schools, including UW–Madison, for the 2025-26 academic year. This decision was made on Thursday.

At UW–Madison, the tuition for Wisconsin resident undergraduates will rise by $500 to $10,506 annually starting in the fall semester of 2025. Non-resident undergraduates will see an increase of $2,025, bringing their total to $42,531. However, graduate student tuition remains unchanged at $10,728 for residents and $24,054 for non-residents.

The Regents also sanctioned an increase in the tuition differential charge specifically for undergraduate students in the School of Engineering. Further details are available in the Board of Regents materials.

Jay Rothman, President of Universities of Wisconsin, recommended a 4% tuition hike across all UW campuses with an option to request an additional 1% increase to address rising operational costs. Although enrollment at UW–Madison has grown, university leaders sought this extra 1% due to uncertainties about federal research funding and inflationary pressures affecting international student enrollment.

For the previous academic year (2024-25), UW–Madison ranked 13th among Big Ten Conference’s public universities regarding in-state resident undergraduate tuition and fees and sixth for nonresident students.

Moreover, it was noted that 66.3% of UW–Madison's graduating seniors from 2024 did not incur student loans during their studies—a trend continuing for nine consecutive years where over half avoided loans.

UW-Madison continues offering various scholarships and grants aimed at reducing attendance costs. The institution remains committed to affordability through initiatives like Bucky’s Pell Pathway which supports Pell-eligible students by covering full financial needs including tuition fees along with housing meals books among other expenses.