MADISON, Wis. — Starting in fall 2024, students from Wisconsin Indian tribes will be able to get their undergraduate degree fully covered through the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

What You Need To Know

  • UW leaders announced on Monday that they would cover the full cost of an undergraduate degree, including tuition, housing, meals, books and other education expenses for students from Wisconsin Indian Tribes

  • In addition to undergraduate financial support, UW will also offer a 5-year pilot program to cover in-state tuition and fees for Wisconsin tribal residents pursuing a law (J.D.) or medical (M.D.) degree

  • Both cost coverage initiatives are part of the new program, the Wisconsin Tribal Educational Promise

  • UW said the program is not based on financial need or whether students are new to campus. Aid will be given regardless of income, leaders said. It will also be available to all currently enrolled students that qualify

UW leaders announced on Monday that they would cover the full cost, including tuition, housing, meals, books and other education expenses.

“The creation of this program marks a significant step in the partnership between the American Indian tribes in Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin–Madison,” said Shannon Holsey, president of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians and chairwoman of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council. “While several other states have programs with similar goals, we are not aware of another effort that goes this far financially to help Native students afford higher education. This program sends a strong message that our students are important to the state’s flagship university.”

In addition to undergraduate financial support, UW will also offer a 5-year pilot program to cover in-state tuition and fees for Wisconsin tribal residents pursuing a law (J.D.) or medical (M.D.) degree.

Both cost coverage initiatives are part of the new program, the Wisconsin Tribal Educational Promise. It’s been in the works over the past year.

University leaders said during that time, they met with the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, which includes a tribal chairperson or president of each of the 11 federally recognized tribes in Wisconsin. UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin met with the council three times to discuss the program before it was finally approved in October.

She said the council provided valuable feedback for designing the program.

“One tribal leader shared how he slept in his car while attending college. Another said they couldn’t afford meals. Native students have shared that they can’t even consider a study abroad experience or an unpaid internship because of the financial impacts,” Mnookin said. “That’s why it is so important that we include the full cost of attendance for undergraduates. We are setting these students up for success academically, but also, just as importantly, the program means that Native students will have full access to all that UW–Madison offers.”

UW said the program is not based on financial need or whether students are new to campus. Aid will be given regardless of income, leaders said. It will also be available to all currently enrolled students that qualify.

“As a university, we are deeply committed to a future of mutual respect and cooperation with the American Indian tribes in Wisconsin,” Mnookin said. “This program is another tangible, meaningful step in that direction.”

The length of support in the program for undergraduates may vary. For students who enter as freshman, there will be four years of support and for those who enter as transfers, two.

Regardless, the program is meant to provide “a pathway to a debt-free education“ and will give “sufficient financial support” to meet estimated tuition costs. Currently, tuition costs $28,916 annually for a Wisconsin resident.

Full-time law students will be given three academic years of support for resident tuition and medical students will get four. However, books and living expenses are not included in that support. Tuition currently costs $35,197 annually for law students and $42,198 for medical students.

There are several requirements students must meet to be eligible. They must be:

  • A Wisconsin resident
  • Verified as an enrolled member of any one of the 11 federally recognized American Indian Tribes in Wisconsin
  • Enrolled at UW-Madison for their first undergraduate degree or for a J.D. (law) or M.D. (medical) degree

This program is not the first step UW-Madison has taken to create opportunities for tribal nations. A Native Nations working group at UW-Madison has worked to create networks, research relationships and culturally responsive engagement programs with the Native nations of Wisconsin since 2016.

The university also installed the Our Shared Future heritage marker on Bascom Hill in 2019. It pledged “a shared future of collaboration and innovation with Ho-Chunk Nation.”

The latest program is another step toward welcoming more Native students to the university.

“At the heart of the Native community is the support and care we have for one another and that we make decisions that will benefit not just ourselves but also the next seven generations,” said Carla Vigue, UW–Madison director of tribal relations, in a press release. “It is our hope that more Native students will take a second look at UW–Madison and realize that we are not out of reach. And I want Native students to know that, once here, we have support and services that can help them thrive and feel a real sense of belonging at this world-class university.”

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