Evers: Budget Will ‘Fully Fund’ Tuition Freeze

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said he will “fully fund” a tuition freeze for University of Wisconsin students in his first budget.

Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and GOP lawmakers first froze tuition for in-state undergraduate students in 2013. They continued the freeze in every budget since.

Speaking at the annual Superior Days gathering in Madison, Evers hinted that he would propose a tuition freeze of his own.

“We will be releasing our budget soon and we will be funding the tuition freeze,” Evers said. “We will be sure that all the campuses across the state are thriving.”

Evers’ office did not immediately respond to a question about whether the governor’s tuition proposal would be similar to Walker’s.

Critics of Walker’s tuition freezes complained that the former governor never gave UW campuses enough state funding to offset the tuition revenue they lost.

Evers has said his budget will prioritize schools, but has yet to say how much he’ll spend on higher education.

The UW Board of Regents voted last week to increase tuition for students not covered by the ongoing tuition freeze.

Under the Regents’ plan, tuition for in-state graduate students would go up at eight campuses, and tuition for resident graduate students would go up at seven institutions. Tuition would also increase for non-resident undergraduate students at six campuses.