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Frequently Asked Questions

Access to courses and majors

How will this initiative help students and boost quality?

Madison Initiative funding will restore faculty positions and instructional support that have been eliminated during the past four biennia in core areas in which undergraduate students take the majority of their credit hours. Restoring the positions and providing needed instructional support will reduce or eliminate course bottlenecks in key departments with large undergraduate enrollments and majors, such as biology, chemistry and economics.

These are high-demand courses, and increasing our capacity will help students complete course requirements on time, and, in turn, continue to graduate in a timely fashion. The funding will also enable us to create courses and programs that integrate advances in research into the undergraduate curriculum and allow for pedagogical innovation.

The restoration of faculty positions in high-priority areas also will help ensure that fields with strong student interest and great benefit can recruit and retain the best faculty, boosting research productivity and extramural funding along the way.

The large majority of departments and fields to which we add funds will also represent the core undergraduate instructional delivery units for the campus.

To ensure a quality undergraduate experience, we plan to restore faculty positions and instructional support in areas of high demand and provide key student services. Those services include career counseling, first-year interest groups, service-learning projects, services for students with disabilities and more internship opportunities.

Additional funding in these areas helps to ensure that UW-Madison continues to enhance the Wisconsin economy with its graduates, startups and entrepreneurship. The university can continue tackling the “big problems” that are inherently multidisciplinary, such as energy, sustainability, climate change and public health.

You’ve said that this plan will expand access to the high-demand majors and courses. How will that work?

We have a number of high-demand courses and majors in which we could improve access for students, if we could afford to add additional faculty positions. The additional funding would allow us to hire roughly 100 new faculty and add instructional support during the course of four years.

On average, each additional faculty member would provide four group instructional sections per year, yielding a total of an additional 300 group instructional sections in these high-demand fields. Other instructional staff will be hired to provide a supplement of 100 group instructional sections.

For example, there are a number of majors for which we do not have the capacity to meet student demand.

What are high-demand courses?

Certain key courses — such as General Chemistry, Introduction to Psychology, Principles of Microeconomics and Calculus — have extremely high enrollments and are gateways to other courses and majors.

Unfortunately, when students attempt to register for some of these and other high-demand courses, they are too often closed out. For example:

What impact do high-demand courses have on my education here?

Providing better access to these gateway classes would improve students’ progress. It would allow them to better use their course time more efficiently. Better access ensures students don’t take courses out of sequence; some courses are building blocks and should be taken in order.

For example, many science courses require students to have skills they acquire in math gateway courses. If access to these gateway courses is limited, students may take courses without fundamental skills or have to wait for another semester to start a course sequence.

Increasing our capacity will also help students complete course requirements on time, and, in turn, continue to graduate in a timely fashion.

Enhancing critical student services

How do better student services benefit me?

Enhancements in academic and career advising and essential support services are particularly important at this difficult time, when students are in greatest need of strong preparation for the world they will encounter after graduation.

What other student services might be affected by the plan?

Part of the funding generated in the Madison Initiative will be used to improve student services such as career counseling, first-year interest groups, service-learning projects, creating more formal undergraduate research opportunities, applying increased resources to disabled students and applying classroom knowledge in a real-world way through expanded internship opportunities.

We are also reaching out to students to get their perspectives on where other needs exist and how we can best address them.

Affordability for low- and middle-income students

How will this plan affect me?

FAQs

More details about financial aid as it relates to the initiative.

The plan will impact you in several ways. All students will benefit from:

The funding comes from a supplemental tuition charge for UW-Madison students to be phased in during the next four years.

In-state students will pay a supplemental tuition charge that grows cumulatively by $250 per year over a four-year period. Out-of-state students will pay a supplemental tuition charge that grows cumulatively by $750 per year over the four-year period.

To ensure affordability of the opportunity to attend UW-Madison, in-state and out-of-state students 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.

If you are a resident student from a family earning more than $80,000 who does not qualify for need-based aid, you will pay an extra tuition charge of $250, increasing by the same amount each year over the four-year period ($250, $500, $750, $1,000), separate from any increases from the UW System.

If you are a nonresident student from a family earning more than $80,000 without need, you will pay an extra tuition charge of $750, increasing by the same amount each year over the four-year period ($750, $1,500, $2,250, $3,000), separate from any increases from the UW System.

How does this impact students from Minnesota?

Minnesota students will continue to pay Minnesota reciprocity rates and are not impacted by the Madison Initiative tuition supplement. (According to an agreement between Wisconsin and Minnesota, students certified under the reciprocity agreement, although classified as non-residents, are assessed the comparable instructional fees in effect at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus, plus the segregated fees assessed all UW-Madison students.)

I’m an international student. How will this impact my tuition?

Question added March 27, 2009

International students are ineligible to receive regular need-based financial aid and are not exempted from Madison Initiative tuition increases.

I’m a graduate student. How will this impact my tuition?

Your tuition will not be increased as a result of the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates.

What if I’m entering UW-Madison during the course of the initiative? What supplemental tuition charge will I pay?

You will pay the charge in effect for that year. For example, an in-state student entering in the second year of the initiative will pay a supplemental tuition charge of $500.

How does the initiative help students who are eligible for financial aid?

UW-Madison’s financial aid resources have not kept pace with student need. To ensure that qualified students from any economic background can attend this great university, we need to significantly increase need-based financial aid.

The initiative will increase financial aid for lower- and middle-income families. Only a percentage of undergraduates will pay the increase. The initiative holds harmless students from families with an annual household income below $80,000, assuming they have demonstrated financial need.

UW-Madison cannot just be a resource for students from high- or middle-income families. It is imperative that young people from modest economic means — who are frequently first-generation students — share in the life-changing experience of earning a university degree.

What is the supplemental tuition charge for 2009-10 under this plan?

The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates calls for a $250 adjustment for residents and $750 adjustment for nonresidents who are not exempted. This is in addition to the projected systemwide increase of $367 per year for residents and nonresidents. (See chart.)

Resident Nonresident
Current annual tuition $6,678 $20,928
Standard increase (5.5 percent) $367 $367*
Madison Initiative increase $250 $750
Total 2009-10 tuition $7,295 $22,045

* – UW System percentage increases for non-resident students are calculated based on the in-state tuition rate.

How do I ensure that I benefit from this plan?

If your family makes under $80,000, you might be eligible for the grant that will cover the cost of the Madison Initiative increase. In order to be considered for this grant, you must apply for financial aid. Information regarding how to apply for financial aid is available on the Office of Student Financial Aid Web site or by contacting the Office of Student Financial Aid at 608-262-3060.

If you qualify, you will receive financial aid that exempts you from the Madison Initiative increase.

Will there be allowances for families with more than one student in college?

Question added March 27, 2009

There are no special allowances for families with more than one student in college, but they would likely qualify for a grant holding them harmless from Madison Initiative increases. In order to be considered for this grant, you must apply for financial aid. Information regarding how to apply for financial aid is available on the Office of Student Financial Aid Web site or by contacting the Office of Student Financial Aid at 608-262-3060.

What about students who pay their own tuition?

Question added March 27, 2009

Undergraduate students who qualify as independent students for federal financial aid purposes will have only their income (and their spouse’s income, if married) considered when determining income for eligibility for the hold-harmless grant that will be given to students with family income under $80,000.

For students who do not qualify as independent students, you must apply for financial aid to see if you meet eligibility requirements. Information regarding how to apply for financial aid is available on the Office of Student Financial Aid Web site or by contacting the Office of Student Financial Aid at 608-262-3060.

Keep in mind, the grant to hold harmless eligible students from families making under $80,000 is only one of a total aid package available from federal and state sources.

How is the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates different from the added tuition charges in the College of Engineering and School of Business?

Question added March 27, 2009

Engineering and business majors – who already pay a higher tuition rate in those areas – will benefit significantly from the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates – both in quality and affordability.

Many classes students take to meet degree requirements are offered outside of those schools in areas such as Letters & Science. For example, if you are a business student who needs to take a high-demand mathematics course, this initiative will make it easier to get into that class and graduate in a timely fashion.

This is a four-year plan, right?

Yes. During these four years, annual resident tuition would rise by about $1,000 as a result of this initiative. UW-Madison is currently $3,000 below the Big Ten midpoint for resident undergraduate tuition. So after the four years, UW-Madison will still be well below the midpoint for resident undergraduate tuition.

For nonresidents, the plan would increase nonresident tuition by $3,000. UW-Madison is currently $3,000 below the Big Ten midpoint for undergraduate tuition. Other Big Ten schools will certainly raise their nonresident tuition during the next four years and is expected to remain below that midpoint after the program is fully implemented.

UW-Madison has always prided itself on being a great investment, providing one of the nation’s best academic programs at an affordable price. With the combined projected increase at the system and campus levels, UW-Madison will still be ranked ninth in the Big Ten for resident undergraduate tuition and eighth in the Big Ten for nonresident undergraduate tuition. UW-Madison remains one of the best values in the nation.

Would the exemption from supplemental tuition charges be applied to all students with need over the next four years?

Yes. All students eligible for need-based aid under the family income threshold of $80,000 would not be impacted by Madison Initiative for Undergraduates supplemental tuition charge.

Aren’t you just raising tuition on Wisconsin students to pay for nonresident students to receive more need-based financial aid?

Increases in need-based financial aid will be provided to all eligible residents, Minnesota and nonresident undergraduate students.

For all three groups, funding to help exempt families from additional tuition increases will be generated through a combination of increased tuition from students and families making more than $80,000 and private fundraising.

Will tuition alone pay for this plan? Will donors also contribute to increase need-based financial aid?

Yes. At the present time, the campus is not able to provide an adequate amount of financial aid for undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need. This gap is currently estimated to be $20 million annually. The Madison Initiative will provide $10 million to help close this gap. At least $10 million will be generated through a vigorous fundraising campaign for need-based financial aid.

Already the UW Foundation has launched the Great People. Great Place. campaign. The foundation has set aside $20 million as an incentive match for unrestricted scholarship gifts. The UW Faculty Senate has provided leadership for an on campus fundraising campaign. From October to December 2008, the UW Credit Union provided matching funds for need-based aid and raised more than $1.5 million — to be shared by a number of UW System institutions.

More about the Madison Initiative and its benefits

Why should families making more than $80,000 a year subsidize students and families who are less well off?

The cost of educating a student at UW-Madison significantly exceeds the tuition — or “sticker price.” Every student at the university is subsidized by funds from a range of sources, including those who will not receive need-based financial aid.

An essential part of every student’s education is the opportunity to study and live with students from every conceivable background and perspective. The increase in average income threatens the economic diversity of our student body.

Furthermore, every student will benefit from the increased access to critical courses and increased numbers of faculty. Every student and every graduate benefits from our efforts to maintain the quality of UW-Madison.

Why should students shoulder the responsibility for what the university cannot afford to do on its own?

Again, every student pays a “sticker price” lower than the cost of their education. That will continue to be the case when these increases take effect.

Tuition will be only one source of need-based financial aid. The university is already drawing heavily on gift funds and is using state and federal funds to keep the cost of education affordable. Additionally, the university pledges to raise funds privately to support need-based financial aid.

Why are you seeking this proposal in a time of economic recession?

The university understands that it is difficult in the current environment to contemplate an additional tuition adjustment. But unless difficult decisions are made now, affordability and quality will suffer for the long-term.

The initiative is needed because the economic crisis worsens the problem as more low- and middle-income families become unable to afford the cost of attending UW-Madison.

The supplemental tuition charge will be phased in during a four-year period, partly because of the economic challenges we face.

How does this initiative help Wisconsin?

While college affordability most acutely hits home with prospective students and their families, we can’t underestimate the importance of a quality undergraduate education — one that is affordable to all — to Wisconsin and its economic future.

The additional funding in these areas helps ensure that UW-Madison continues to enhance the Wisconsin economy with its graduates, startups and entrepreneurship. The university can continue tackling the “big problems” that are inherently multidisciplinary, such as energy, sustainability, climate change and public health. A cost-effective and real-world focused undergraduate education is something students and their families expect, especially in these challenging times.

Today, approximately 25 percent of all Wisconsin residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher. That number ranks us 35th overall among all states and well behind our neighbors in Minnesota, at 30 percent, and Illinois, at 29 percent.

These statistics matter because the new higher-paying, knowledge-based jobs we want and need in Wisconsin are going to demand a highly trained and talented workforce. A baccalaureate degree is rapidly becoming the minimum standard.