Regents approve 2% tuition increase, holding increase below current inflation rate (news summary)

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Board of Regents for the Universities of Wisconsin today approved a 2 percent increase in resident undergraduate tuition for the 2026-27 academic year.

The increase is below the current inflation rate and will help universities address rising operating costs while continuing to maintain affordability for Wisconsin students and families.

"We recognize Wisconsin families are managing rising costs in every part of their lives, and that reality informed this proposal," said UWs interim President Renée Wachter. "This is a measured increase that helps our universities continue providing strong student support and high-quality academic experiences while keeping a UW education among the most affordable in the Midwest."

The proposal, approved by a 15-1 vote, provides for a base tuition increase of 2% for resident undergraduates. Accounting for a combined tuition and segregated fee increase averaging 2.2%, and an increase in room and board rates averaging 2.8%, the proposed average increase in the cost of attendance for Wisconsin resident undergraduate students at the four-year campuses would be 2.5% in 2026-27.

Nonresident undergraduate tuition at all UWs would increase by either the same dollar amount or the same percentage as for residents, except at UW-Madison, which would increase nonresident undergraduate tuition by 4%.

Graduate tuition for residents and nonresidents would be unchanged at UW-Madison and UW-Green Bay. UW-Stout proposes a 4% increase, and all other UWs propose a 2% increase, the one exception being that UW-Whitewater would increase nonresident graduate tuition by the same dollar amount as for residents.

In addition to the base tuition adjustment, increases to program-specific tuition were proposed and approved for seven specific academic programs across four of the UWs to help to address the higher costs of delivering those programs.

Annual Operating Budget Approved

Regents also voted to adopt the UWs' annual operating budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which is based on the second year of the state's biennial budget enacted last summer.

In recap, the revenue budget for FY27 is projected at approximately $7.9 billion, an increase of 12.7% from the prior year, while the expenditure budget will increase by 12.3%. Revenue from gifts, grants, and contracts, driven largely by research grants and charitable giving, is projected to increase nearly $440 million. Related to the increased grant funding, federal indirect cost reimbursements are expected to increase nearly $130 million. A total of $24.7 million in tuition balances is projected for one-time uses.

The budget included details on each of the universities, including the key factors that impact their revenue and expense budgets, their fundraising highlights, and the actions being taken to support the goals of the UW Strategic Plan. Notably, the number of universities projecting a structural deficit in their GPR/tuition funds for 2026-27 is zero.

UW-Stout to Become UW-Stout Polytechnic

Regents today approved UW-Stout's request to rename UW-Stout to "University of Wisconsin-Stout Polytechnic." The name change builds on the Board of Regents' prior approval of the university's polytechnic designation and the 2024 revision to RPD 1-1 establishing a Polytechnic University Core Mission category.

Discussion formally began with the Chancellor's Advisory Council on October 15, 2025, which includes university leadership and shared governance representation. Shared governance groups reviewed the proposal throughout the fall 2025 semester, with resolutions received from all four governance groups by December 2025.

New Board Leadership Elected

Current Regent Vice President Kyle Weatherly was unanimously elected as the next president of the Board of Regents.

Summing up a series of seven principles that will guide his term as president, Weatherly told colleagues the time ahead is about opportunities and the obligation for Regents to evolve and improve.

"We must protect, improve, and widen our ladder of opportunity," he said. "We must make sure every person in Wisconsin - whether a first grader, a high schooler, or a 35-year-old adult - knows that the opportunity exists, and it exists in us being there to serve them."

Weatherly said the UWs are "the crown jewel of the state and need to act like it." He further noted, "We must be tireless in finding opportunities to better use our resources, to modernize services, and meet the challenging needs of students and Wisconsinites." Weatherly said that the Board, reflecting the trust of students, must be "equally tireless in advocating for investment from Wisconsin taxpayers and legislators."

Regent Ashok Rai, of Green Bay, was unanimously elected the Board's new vice president.

Rai told fellow Board members the UWs offer students not only a world-class education but also room to find themselves and bonds that last a lifetime. "Everything we do as a Board is in service of students and the people who teach them."

He said that focus is only the starting point. Regents must also make the case that "investment in our universities is one of the highest return investments the state can make," Rai said, adding that the search for a new UWs president is the most consequential decision the Board can make. "It sets the tone, the priority and the trajectory for years to come."

Board President's Report

Regent President Amy Bogost provided Board members with a brief update on the two ongoing leadership searches. She said the 24-member search and screen committee for the new UW-Madison chancellor - which Bogost co-chairs and also includes Regents Goitom, Salzwedel, Walsh and Weatherly - received its official charge last week. She noted that virtual listening sessions will be held on June 15 and 22 for members of the campus and community to share perspectives on what qualities should be looked for in the new chancellor.

Turning to the UWs presidential search, Bogost said the 25-member search and screen committee was officially named in early May. The committee, to be chaired by Regent Ashok Rai and which includes Regents Angela Adams, Noah Fritz, Jim Kreuser, Tom Palzewicz, Joan Prince, and Sara Rogers, also has representation from every UW university. Listening sessions for this search will be announced tomorrow.

Successful candidates for both searches require the approval of the full Board of Regents and are anticipated to be selected later this year.

Turning to outreach initiatives, Bogost noted the recent presentation of the latest Regent Business Partnership Award, recognizing the long-term collaborations between UW-Stevens Point and Marshfield Clinic. "The relationship between the clinic and UWSP goes back decades, and it has been critical to the ongoing economic and - literally - the health of central and northcentral Wisconsin," Bogost said.

Bogost also highlighted the second Universities of Wisconsin Business Day at the Capitol event last month, where 19 businesses from around the state came to Madison to share their experiences and success stories to bring to life the real-world impact of these partnerships for Wisconsin's communities, workforce, and economy.

Scenes from the 22^nd annual Research in the Rotunda event in mid-March were also shared with the Board in a video showcasing the students' experiences. About 125 students from all 13 UW universities participated in this celebration of undergraduate research.

Finally, Bogost shared some personal thoughts as she winds up her term as Board president. She said that serving as vice president and then president has been one of the greatest privileges of her life.

"At its best, higher education is about building human beings," Bogost said. "It is about helping students understand not only what they want to do, but who they want to become. We are not simply teaching students how to work for others, we are giving them the life experiences, the confidence, the curiosity, and courage to become captains of their own ships. We are helping them expand their minds, understand themselves more deeply, understand the world more clearly, and contribute to something larger than themselves. That is the true power of public higher ed. We should be very proud of that."

Bogost said that looking ahead, the Board will continue to face difficult issues. "Higher education is at a precipice. The old assumptions are not enough. We must modernize. We must listen, we must be nimble, and we must make difficult choices," Bogost said.

"We must explain these choices clearly to the people we serve. We must act with transparency, courage, humility, and urgency. But we must never lose sight of why we are here. The work is about students, it's about opportunity, it's about making sure that a public university education remains excellent, accessible, relevant, and meaningful for generations to come."

UWs President's Report

Interim UWs President Renée Wachter, in her first meeting in the new role, also addressed the Board and expressed her appreciation for the trust the Regents have placed in her.

"I look forward to working with Board members, my fellow chancellors, members of UWs Administration, our colleagues across the Universities of Wisconsin, and so many others in the coming month," she said.

As part of the regular president's report, Wachter provided brief legislative updates. Starting on the state side, she noted that the regular session of the 2025-27 Legislature has now come to a close, and legislators are in the midst of campaign season ahead of elections this fall.

Turning to the federal front, Wachter said the UWs are grateful to see Congress reject many of the proposed reductions in funding to higher education - ranging from student financial aid to research funding - as part of the budgeting and appropriations process.

"Ensuring that students from all economic backgrounds can attend our universities remains central to our mission and our advocacy for programs that help make that possible will not waiver," Wachter said. "As it relates to research, sustained funding not only fosters discoveries that benefit all Wisconsinites and citizens across the country but is critical to the vibrancy of Wisconsin."

To close her report, Wachter also offered her congratulations to the thousands of new UW graduates who received their diplomas last month.

"As the longtime chancellor at UW-Superior, I can tell you it has always brought me great joy to see the hundreds of graduates come across the state, crossing that finish line, to collect their hard-earned diplomas," she said. "You see the first bumps, the hugs, the tears, and cheering families and friends. And then multiply that by the UW universities all across the state and the thousands of graduates who celebrated their own big days last month."

Host: UWM is Making Waves

Leading the host campus presentation to the Board, "Making Waves: Accelerating UWM's Momentum for Enduring Impact," UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Tom Gibson emphasized numerous ways UWM strengthens the community and the state.

A champion of student success, Gibson described several initiatives designed to make students more successful in college. These included:

• ROAR Ready, which provides more than 200 opportunities for youth to engage with the university and discover their interests early on.
• Stritch Family Literacy Center, which strengthens the fundamental skills of reading and writing among elementary and junior high students.
• M-Cubed, a partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools and Milwaukee Area Technical College that fosters smooth transitions from high school to higher education to the workforce.
• Dual enrollment, a program that has seen a 12-fold increase in UWM in six years. Gibson noted that students who participated in dual enrollment in high school were more likely to stay in school at UWM.

Despite facing a declining population of college-aged students, UWM has implemented a Strategic Enrollment Management Plan designed to grow enrollment year over year.

And it appears to be working, Gibson said. Last fall, UWM welcomed the largest incoming class of first-year students in 16 years. Also, thanks to transfer agreements with six area technical colleges, UWM saw the largest number of new transfer students from these schools in 10 years. Further, an effort to re-engage students who had stopped out of UWM for more than two-and-a-half years has resulted in 226 students re-enrolled and 845 more people exploring a return to UWM.

Gibson acknowledged that many students find affordability an issue, and 89% of UWM's new undergraduates receive financial aid. To make college more affordable, UWM increased its institutional financial aid by 39% since 2023. "We view this as an investment in student success," he said.

Research was a major theme of Gibson's remarks, and he noted that for 10 years, UWM has ranked among the nation's top-tier R1 research universities. Gibson tied this achievement to student success, saying: "I believe we have a moral obligation to see more students achieve the goals they set for themselves, and I believe research opportunities can help us get there."

Research builds confidence among students and fosters collaborations with local, national and international partners, Gibson said. A new Faculty-Industry Partnership Seed Grant Program launched this year aligns faculty expertise with industry needs.

One notable partnership is UWM's Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab - the only one in the world focused on manufacturing. Since it opened last summer, at least 48 projects have been completed in the lab, helping small and medium-sized manufacturers incorporate high-tech solutions into their production process.

Gibson expressed his gratitude to the UWM Research Foundation for its role in helping UWM researchers protect their intellectual property. Since it began 20 years ago, the foundation has helped secure 224 patents and 47 active license-and-option agreements.

"I said earlier that Milwaukee is our classroom, but I also like to think of UWM as Milwaukee's university," Gibson said.

In other business, the Regents:

• Approved a resolution of appreciation for UW-Milwaukee's hosting of the June 2026 meeting;
• Approved the 2027 Board of Regents meeting schedule;
• Approved the election of the Board's incumbent officers, including: Megan Wasley (Corporate Secretary of the Board), Christen Bock (Assistant Secretary), Steven Wright (Assistant Secretary), Julie Gordon (Trust Officer), and Charles Saunders (Assistant Trust Officer);
• Heard the UW-Milwaukee NCAA Division I Athletics Annual Accountability Report;
• In the Business & Finance Committee, heard a first reading of proposed revisions to Regent Policy Document 13-1 related to general contract approval, signature authority, and reporting. The changes seek to better clarify the express delegation of the Board's authority to enter into contracts on its behalf to the UWs President and UW Chancellors, and to clarify what contracts require Board approval prior to signature. The committee will consider action on these revisions at a future meeting;
• In the Business & Finance Committee, heard a presentation from UW-Milwaukee Vice Chancellor Robin Van Harpen and Associate Vice Chancellor Drew Knab, who provided an overview of UWM's current operating performance and of the investments made in support of its Multiyear Financial Strategy, as well as the performance to the financial objectives laid out in that five-year plan;
• Approved the annual request for funding from the Vilas Trust Fund for UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. Funding totaled over $10 million this year and will support scholarships, fellowships, professorships, and special programs in Art and Humanities, Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences and Music;
• Approved UW-Madison's request to offer a Master of Business Administration in Business Administration and Management. The program consolidates and replaces six specialized M.B.A. programs at UW-Madison. Graduates will be prepared for careers in consulting, finance, technology management, marketing, and related fields;
• Approved UW-Madison's request to offer a Master of Science in Education: Instructional Coaching. The program elevates and replaces the existing M.S. in Educational Psychology named option, Professional Educator, including the instructional coaching certificate. It is designed for practicing educators seeking career advancement in the classroom and beyond. Graduates will be prepared to advance their careers in the education sector as instructional coaches, mentor teachers, professional learning specialists, and other roles focused on enhancing teaching and learning;
• Approved UW-Madison's request to offer a Master of Science in Special Education Teacher Certification. The program will elevate and replace the existing M.S. in Special Education named option in Teacher Certification. The Wisconsin Department of Instruction has reported a major shortage of special education teachers in Wisconsin. This program is designed for individuals who work full-time, many of whom hold a DPI license with stipulations or serve in another role within the education setting. Graduates will be eligible for licensure as a cross-categorical special education teacher in Wisconsin;
• Approved UW-Oshkosh's request to offer a Master of Business Administration in Business Analytics. The program is an elevation of an existing graduate certificate in Data Analytics and the existing Data Modeling and Visualization emphasis within the M.B.A. Graduates will be prepared for leadership roles in areas such as business intelligence, finance, marketing, health care, and operations;
• Approved the 2026 Report on Faculty Promotions, Tenure Designations, and Other Changes of Status. Each spring, the Universities of Wisconsin Division of Academic and Student Affairs compiles data on tenure designations, promotions, and new tenured appointments made at the 13 UW universities. The names of those faculty members who have been newly tenured, promoted, and hired with tenure for academic year 2025-26 are included. Regent action is the final step in the rigorous tenure process. Regents congratulated the more than 430 faculty members who have been newly tenured, promoted, and hired with tenure;
• In the Education Committee, heard a presentation by UW-Milwaukee titled "Making Waves in Affordability for Student Success," outlining work to advance student success by tackling textbook affordability. Highlights included discussion on how UW-Milwaukee, over the past decade, has intentionally approached addressing affordability by expanding the use of low or no-cost course materials through Open Educational Resource (OER) training for faculty and staff, partnerships between UWM Libraries and the Center for Advancing Student Learning, increased access to library materials, and the addition of low- or no-cost materials in the general education curriculum;
• In the Education Committee, heard a panel discussion by representatives from UW Administration as well as UW universities on "Opportunities for Open Educational Resources Across the Universities of Wisconsin" that complemented UW-Milwaukee's presentation. The discussion provided an overview of Open Educational Resources (OER) efforts across the Universities of Wisconsin, including perspectives on current practices, challenges, and opportunities to expand the use of affordable course materials in support of student success.
• In the Education Committee, heard an update by Senior Vice President Johannes Britz on progress toward implementing SYS policies that support the operationalizing of RPD 20-25, "Teaching Workload" and RPD 4-23, "Core General Education Requirements". Key updates include:
  • Continued efforts by the Teaching Workload Operations workgroup to establish a framework for collecting and ultimately reporting the various nuances of teaching workload data.
  • Continued efforts to support the technical aspects of the implementation of Core General Education Requirements;
• Approved the allocation of 2025-27 Classroom Renovation/Instructional Technology Improvement Program funds, including the construction of a related project at an estimated total cost of $3,586,000 General Fund Supported Borrowing:
  • The project will renovated Room 160 in Lapham Hall at UW-Milwaukee, transforming a tiered lecture hall into a flat-floor, 48-seat active learning classroom;
• Approved granting authority to construct various maintenance and repair projects at an estimated cost of $23,844,300 ($23,324,500 State of Wisconsin Segregated Revenues and $519,800 cash):
  • UW-Madison - Engineering Centers Building chilled water system mechanical joint replacement;
  • UW-Madison - UW Psychiatric Institute roof replacement;
  • UW-Madison - Veterinary Medicine Building at Charmany Farms chiller replacement;
  • UW-Milwaukee - Golda Meir Library roof replacements;
  • UW-Milwaukee - Mitchell Hall North & South roof replacements;
  • UW-River Falls - Hunt Arena electrical distribution replacement;
  • UW-River Falls - North Hall main electrical equipment replacement;
  • UW-Whitewater - General Services Building roof replacement;
  • UW-Whitewater - Roseman Hall roof replacement;
  • UW-Whitewater - Parking Lot 21 reconstruction;
• Approved $9,665,800 State of Wisconsin Segregated Revenue for demolition of the Biotron Laboratory and the Meat Science and Muscle Biology Building at UW-Madison. Both facilities have been vacated since 2023 and their sites will be defined by future campus planning and physical development efforts;
• In the Capital Planning & Budget Committee, heard an overview of the biennial capital budget and planning process, including a process overview, facts and figures from requests received, and a summary of select supporting materials;
• In the Capital Planning & Budget Committee, received a status report on leasing transactions executed for the University of Wisconsin System from December 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026. Two leases for new space were executed for UW-Madison. Only one lease required Board approval. Ten leases were either amended or renewed and five leases were terminated;
• In the Capital Planning & Budget Committee, received a status report of gift and grant funded projects managed solely by the University of Wisconsin System from December 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026. Since its inception in July 2015, the program has included a total of 203 projects;
• In the Capital Planning & Budget Committee, heard a UW-Milwaukee presentation, "Making Waves: Building Enduring Impact Through Our Physical Infrastructure;"
• In the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee, heard a Fiscal Year 2026 Audit Plan Progress Report;
• In the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee, heard the Office of Compliance and Risk Management Fiscal Year 2027 Annual Plan and Fiscal Year 2026 Progress Report;
• In the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee, received the results of recently-issued reports:
  • Internal Assessment
    • Executive Summary
    • Report on Self-Assessment
    • Quality Assurance and Improvement Program
  • Physical Plant Services Chargebacks - Executive Summary
  • Purchasing Cards (Bi-Annual Auditing) June 21, 2015 - January 2, 2026 - Executive Summary
  • Third-Party Risk Management - Executive Summary;
• In the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee, Chief Audit Executive Lori Stortz confirmed the organizational independence of their internal audit function, per the requirements of the Institute of Internal Auditors' Global Internal Audit Standards; and
• In the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee, the Office of Compliance and Risk Management (OCRM) provided an overview of how the Universities of Wisconsin approach enterprise risk management, including a panel discussion from university leaders sharing their experiences and insights at their institutions. OCRM also provided next steps for creating a strategic, collaborative, and long-lasting plan to support the overall success of the UWs.

The meeting of the Board of Regents for the Universities of Wisconsin will resume with a closed session at 8:45 a.m. on June 5, 2026, at UW-Milwaukee.