UW System tuition-waiver program cut from budget proposal will launch, at least this year 

According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the UW System will still launch its Wisconsin Tuition Promise this fall, funding the program for low-income students with $13.8 million it has on hand. The future of the program is uncertain, however, with the GOP-led legislature’s current opposition to its inclusion in the state budget. 

The Wisconsin Tuition Promise will help in-state students coming from families that earn under $62,000 annually to pay for up to four years of tuition and fees; transfer students will receive two years of funding. 

Through the program, the UW System agrees to cover participating students’ costs after all other funding sources, including scholarships and grants, have been exhausted.  

The program was inspired by UW–Madison’s Bucky’s Tuition Promise, launched in 2018; UW–Madison students will not be eligible for the Wisconsin Tuition Promise. 

While it has agreed to fund the first cohort, the UW System has asked the state for $24.5 million to cover the second cohort, beginning in 2024–25 — a request that was cut from Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal last week by the Joint Finance Committee.