UW regents takes up proposed tuition hike

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — It would cost Wisconsin residents more than $10,000 a year in tuition and fees to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison if a recommended 5.5 percent tuition increase is approved.

The university's Board of Regents is scheduled to take up the proposed increase Thursday.

It's the sixth straight year that University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly has recommended a 5.5 percent tuition hike for in-state students attending any of the system's 13 four-year campuses, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. It's the most he can ask for under a legislative cap in the current budget.

"These are challenging times for our colleges and universities, as well as for our students and families," Reilly said in a statement. ``With that in mind, we've recommended a modest, predictable tuition increase that provides some additional revenue for our campuses."

Funding to the UW system was cut by $250 million over two years in the 2011-13 budget. The system also is returning a total of $65.7 million in state funding from 2011-2013 to cover budget deficits.

If approved, Wisconsin residents would pay an extra $431 at UW-Madison, bringing tuition and fees to $10,379 per year. Tuition for out-of-state students would go up the same amount -- meaning it would cost a non-resident $26,096 to attend the Madison campus.

Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, said he wants to extend the 5.5 percent tuition cap for two more academic years.