Republicans Vote to End 8-Year UW Tuition Freeze

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Legislature’s Republican-led budget committee has voted to end a University of Wisconsin tuition freeze that has been in place for eight years and long been a GOP priority that had bipartisan support.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed extending the tuition freeze in his budget proposal, along with spending $190 million more on higher education.

But the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee went in a different direction Thursday, ending the tuition freeze and adding just $21 million in state funding.

University leaders for years have criticized the tuition freeze, saying it makes it hard to fund the university and threatens educational quality.