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UW tuition assistance program for low- to moderate-income students moves ahead

Lauren Sigfusson
/
WUWM
Wisconsin Tuition Promise is a tuition assistance program to help low- and moderate-income students attend University of Wisconsin System schools.

A tuition assistance program for low- and moderate-income students who attend University of Wisconsin System schools has been approved by the UW Board of Regents. This comes just days after system President Jay Rothman, UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone and leaders of other campuses publicly unveiled the plan, which would start in Fall 2023.

University officials say students who will be high school seniors this fall need to be aware of the Wisconsin program when making college choices over the next nine months.

According to the UW System, Wisconsin Tuition Promise would be modeled after the Bucky's Tuition Promise program at UW-Madison. A UW press release says Wisconsin Tuition Promise would "provide up to four years of tuition and fee funding for first-year and transfer students coming from families earning less than $62,000 annually and enrolling at any of the other 12 universities within the UW System. The program would be structured to provide 'last dollar' financial support after federal and state grant aid is accounted for."

On Thursday, the regents OK'd spending nearly $14 million in reserve funds to pay for the first year of Wisconsin Tuition Promise. The UW says it will be seeking almost $25 million from state lawmakers to fund the second year of the program.

Milwaukee attorney Scott Beightol, who chairs the Regents' Business and Finance Commitee, told the board, "On average, nearly 12% of all resident undergraduates — about 8,000 students — will benefit, as we estimate, from the promise program over four years. A real impact we're going to have."

He said the UW funding the first year of Wisconsin Tuition Promise means "we're going to kickstart this program. We're going to put our money where our mouth is. We believe so strongly in this and, in the urgency, we need to meet for the business community [supplying more graduates] and for the community members around the state."

Beightol concluded: "The Tuition Promise, folks, this is what access looks like. Real action, real dollars around diversity and equity."

No regent spoke against the program.

UW budget proposals are often changed by the governor and legislative budget committees. Republicans are expected to retain control of the Assembly and Senate. GOP challenger Tim Michels is running against Democratic incumbent Gov. Tony Evers.

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