MADISON, Wis.—Universities of Wisconsin Regent President Kyle Weatherly and UWs President Renée Wachter today announced the 4-Year Tuition Pledge, a centerpiece of the UW’s 2027-29 budget request proposal.

The 4-Year Tuition Pledge proposes to freeze tuition at the UWs for the 2027-29 biennium, provided the state invests $190 million to support the cost of the freeze and other operating needs that preserve educational quality.

The UWs would also commit to tuition increases in the two following years to no more than the rate of inflation. Under this proposal, students entering in the fall of 2027 would have declining tuition relative to inflation for four years, while Wisconsin would maintain its position as a Midwest leader in tuition affordability.

“This proposal means four years of predictable tuition with costs that remain well below inflation,” Weatherly said. “It represents an important commitment to Wisconsin families and helps ensure the Universities of Wisconsin remain the Midwest leader in tuition affordability.”

“To make the 4-Year Tuition Pledge a reality and deliver the quality of education students deserve and parents expect,” Weatherly continued, “we need a state partner to fund ongoing operational expenses and help us, as was done for previous generations, fund basic education costs.”

Weatherly and Wachter also announced Wisconsin Work and Learn, which pairs last-dollar financial aid with a work or career-preparation commitment for students coming from families earning below the Wisconsin household median income.

“By combining last-dollar financial aid with career-connected learning, Wisconsin Work and Learn would help ensure that cost is not a barrier to opportunity while strengthening Wisconsin’s economy and workforce,” Wachter said. “Together, the 4-Year Tuition Pledge and Wisconsin Work and Learn would provide families with greater certainty, remove financial barriers for thousands of students, and reaffirm Wisconsin’s longstanding belief that talent and hard work, not financial circumstances, should determine a student’s opportunity to succeed.”

Weatherly and Wachter announced the proposals at news conferences at UW-Stevens Point and UW-Green Bay today. They were joined by UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Robert Brinkmann, UW-Green Bay Chancellor Michael Alexander, UW-Parkside Provost Matt Cecil, UW-Oshkosh Provost Joshua Garrison, and students.