Tuition at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh would increase to $6,422 for state residents in the 2012-2013 academic year, according to a proposal to be considered by the UW System Board of Regents on June 7.
The Board will weigh in on UW System President Kevin P. Reilly’s proposal to increase tuition up to 5.5 percent at System institutions throughout the state.
At UW Oshkosh, the proposed tuition increase from 2011-2012 to 2012-2013 equates to $332 per year per student. Student fees bring the total in-state cost of attending the state’s third-largest University to $7,321.
“These are challenging times for our colleges and universities, as well as for our students and families. With that in mind, we’ve recommended a modest, predictable tuition increase that provides some additional revenue for our campuses,” Reilly said in a June 4 statement announcing the tuition increases. “Those funds will help ensure that students get the classes they need to graduate on time, in a safe, productive learning environment. Through this balanced approach, we can maintain UW’s historic commitments to both affordability and academic excellence.”
Overall cost to attend UW Oshkosh – including changes to room and meal plan rates between the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 academic years – would increase 3.6 percent, tied for overall lowest in among the UW System’s 13 four-year campuses.
The State of Wisconsin’s 2011-2013 biennial budget reduced funding to the UW System by $250 million. An additional budget lapse approved in February 2012 withdrew an additional $66 million in taxpayer support. In addition to these reductions in operating revenues, all UW employees are paying for a larger portion of their health and retirement benefits.
Added to last year’s 5.5 percent tuition increase, the new rates proposed for the coming academic year would result in a total of $110 million in new tuition revenue for UW institutions over the two-year period – about one third of the funds needed to offset budget cuts and lapses.
“As our entire state continues to feel the ripple effects of a historic economic recession, UW chancellors continue to make tough choices and tighten their belts, while also focusing on educational programs and research efforts that will fuel economic recovery,” Reilly said.
UW System News contributed to this update.
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