MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The University of Wisconsin board has approved a tuition increase of 2% for the 2026-2027 academic year. That decision has some lawmakers in disagreement.

According to the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents, the tuition increase would be used to support essential university operations. Those include operations like utilities, facility maintenance, employee salaries and benefits, and student services. However, some lawmakers feel this increase isn’t needed because the state has continued to increase the university systems budget.

Senator Rob Hutton chairs the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges. In a statement he put out opposing the increase, he said the following:

“Since 2021, the UW System's budget has grown from approximately $12.9 billion to nearly $15.9 billion, an increase that tracks inflation. The Legislature also provided an additional $256 million in taxpayer support in the most recent state budget. The challenge facing the UW System is not simply one of resources. It is whether we are willing to undertake the reforms necessary to make the System stronger, more responsive, and more affordable over the long term. That includes streamlining bureaucracy, reducing unnecessary duplication across campuses, modernizing governance, and ensuring programs align with the needs of today's students and Wisconsin employers.”

The university system says the increase is necessary, citing mandated raises for state workers and rising IT costs as the main drivers. Officials say without it, parts of the system could face a deficit. 

“A number of our universities are just coming out of structural deficits, and that involved really a lot of hard work for those universities, to look at how to effectively and efficiently provide those services, how to make reductions wherever possible,” Julie Gordon, the Universities of Wisconsin vice president of finance and administration, said.

She added the $256 million in taxpayer support in the most recent state budget can only be used for what the Legislature allows them to use it for.

Incoming junior Aarush Nalawadi says he won’t be directly impacted by the increase, but he knows families from lower incomes will. He says he’d like to see some tangible changes in the classroom since the tuition will be increasing again.

“They keep increasing the tuition by so much that I feel like, that they should keep it at least semi constant,” Nalawadi said. “It’s just kind of hard to learn in these situations, where the desks are flopping around all the time and I am trying to sit down and my legs are like pushed up in the chair in front of me. Maybe little things like that would improve the quality of life when I am sitting in my class, trying to hear my professor.” 

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One former student we spoke with says previous increases made by the university system caused her to stop taking certain classes, especially since she was receiving financial help due to her income.

“I wanted to get a certificate in theater, and with the tuition increases, I had to stop it after one class because they ran out of funding from what they say with me, and I would have had to take extra loans,” Mykala Jaeschke, a former UW student, said.

Senator Hutton’s office says the university needs to look at making reforms to the education system to solve the budget issues the system is facing. He called the increase disappointing. You can see how much tuition will raise at each university below.

The resident undergraduate tuition and segregated fees for each university in 2026-27 is as follows:

• UW-Eau Claire: $10,268
• UW-Green Bay: $9,133
• UW-La Crosse: $10,563
• UW-Madison: $12,416
• UW-Milwaukee: $11,153
• UW-Oshkosh: $9,180
• UW-Parkside: $8,851
• UW-Platteville: $9,007
• UW-River Falls: $9,448
• UW-Stevens Point: $9,692
• UW-Stout: $10,289
• UW-Superior: $9,477
• UW-Whitewater: $8,984