Tuition going up 5.5% at UW schools

Sophomore UW-Green Bay student John Luke has to work two jobs during the school year, at the book store and as an R.A., to help pay for the rising cost of tuition.

"It's hard," said Luke.

And it's about to get harder as the board of regents passed a 5.5% tuition increase for four-year campuses.

"So I'm not a big fan of it obviously," said Luke.

That's 5.5% increase will equate to about an extra $280 a year in tuition at schools like UWGB. And John believes that not only will it be tougher to pay, but to also possibly make the grade.

"It's not just $280, but that means 12 more hours you're going to have to work and that's 12 hours you could have been studying," said John Luke.

Ron Ronnenberg the university's director of financial aid says the school planned ahead, already projecting the increase for the upcoming year.

"So the students that are receiving financial aid already have that built into their financial aid awards," said Ronnenberg. "I think it's manageable for this year."

And to help make the increased cost even more manageable in this tough economy the school also extended its application period for new and transfer students from the local area.

"So we want to be as sensitive as we can to the changing financial circumstances of folks in our region," said Michael Stearney, the assistant dean for enrollment. "I think a lot of families have found their plans may have to change because college savings accounts have declined more than they anticipated."

That extended application window will be open till around mid-August.

The tuition increase only affects four-year campuses. The budget also protects students from families who earn less than $60,000 by promising enough state and federal aid grants to cover the tuition increases.

For the third straight year tuition at the state's 13 two-year colleges will be frozen.