Dive Brief:
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank and system President Ray Cross fought for a waiver of the out-of-state student cap, arguing that such recruitment brings external talent to Wisconsin’s economy.
- The Associated Press reports the UW System currently caps out-of-state undergraduates at 27.5% of the total on each campus, but the waiver will allow UW-Madison to enroll as many out-of-state students as it wants for the next four years.
- The university would have to maintain its in-state student population at a minimum of 3,600 freshmen per year, not including the Minnesota students who pay in-state tuition rates.
Dive Insight:
The University of Wisconsin System is facing a $250 million funding cut over the next two years, thanks to the Republican-controlled legislature’s latest budget. The funding cut was originally supposed to come with increased autonomy for the system that could have provided substantial savings, but legislators ultimately did not agree to it.
Besides recruiting out-of-state students for the additional tuition revenue, many public schools have set their sights abroad, allowing international students to swell their ranks and contribute more than just money.