About the Madison Initiative
The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates proposes a supplemental tuition charge to be phased in during the next four years to improve the quality and long-term value of undergraduate education and make it affordable to all.
The initiative will add faculty and instructional support in high-demand areas and provide increased funding to vital student services. It will also significantly increase need-based financial aid by matching the tuition revenues we devote to financial aid with private fundraising for that purpose. Even after the tuition increase is fully implemented in 2013, both UW-Madison’s in- and out-of-state tuition will remain near the bottom of the Big Ten, while the university’s quality remains at the top.
Goals:
- To ensure that the university can offer the courses and majors students need to complete degrees, pursue a range of intellectual interests and prepare for a range of careers
- To ensure that UW-Madison can provide critical student services, such as academic and career advising, and peer-mentoring programs to prepare them more effectively for a changing world of work
- To ensure that affordability will no longer be a significant barrier to a UW-Madison education.
The benefits of the initiative for our students:
- easier access to high-demand courses and majors
- more courses taught by tenure-track and tenured faculty
- more opportunities for interaction with faculty
- enhanced student services, including academic and career advising, peer mentoring and student counseling
- curricular and pedagogical innovations, including technology-assisted learning
- greater economic diversity in the student body
These changes will enhance the long-term value of a UW-Madison degree for all of our students.
Proposed program components:
In-state undergraduate students will:
Pay a supplemental UW-Madison tuition charge that grows cumulatively by $250 per year over a four-year period.
That means that for the 2009-10 academic year, the supplemental tuition charge will be $250; for 2010-11, it will be $500; for 2011-12, it will be $750, and for 2012-13, it will be $1,000.
Out-of-state undergraduate students will:
Pay a supplemental UW-Madison tuition charge that grows cumulatively by $750 per year over a four-year period.
That means that for the 2009-10 academic year, the supplemental tuition charge will be $750; for 2010-11, it will be $1,500; for 2011-12, it will be $2,250, and for 2012-13, it will be $3,000.
Affordability:
To ensure affordability of the opportunity to attend UW-Madison, students, in state and out of state, who are eligible for need-based financial aid and whose families earn $80,000 or less will receive grants to offset the supplemental tuition charge. We will equal or exceed the amount of financial aid generated by this initiative with our campaign to raise private support, Great People. Great Place.
Students will also benefit from additional need-based aid that will reduce the net cost of their education in ways we cannot afford without the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates.
Based on the success of this initiative, we will consider increasing UW-Madison enrollment in consultation with other system chancellors.
For details about the proposal, read these frequently asked questions »
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