<p>Kind of funny.</p>
<p>Like this is some kind of surprise?</p>
<p>The only surprise is that it was found out & publicized. Under-the-table dealings on admissions at UIUC have been suspected for many years, and probably increased in the last few years with the Pacific Rim OOS applicants raising the bar, making it tougher for North Shore suburban Chicago HS students to assume admission at Champaign a sure thing, thus the pressure on politicians & trustees.</p>
<p>I hope Jiffsmom reads this. She is sending her kid to a corrupt school just because UW wanted to improve undergrad education and it costs some money.</p>
<p>It was the increased cost (triple for OOS) and dishonest way the initiative was handled, barrons - announced May 8th, AFTER May 1st enrollment decisions had to be made. </p>
<p>Even worse, the other kids at D2’s school didn’t even know about the extra surcharge until D2 told them (we know only because of the discussions on CC). Incoming OOS freshmen haven’t been told that they’re going to have to pay an extra $7,500 on top of 5-6% annual tuition increases. When they found out, and checked into it themselves, it killed the deal for some of them, too. Our school isn’t on the North Shore - we’re middle class, blue collar, suburban Chicago… IOW, not a bottomless money pit - unexpected increased costs forces a change in plans.</p>
<p>The Madison area’s own top students don’t hold UW in high esteem - most of them choose to go elsewhere.
[WISCONSIN</a> STATE JOURNAL](<a href=“http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/latest/452785]WISCONSIN”>http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/latest/452785)</p>
<p>Honestly, barrons, after reading your comments on 2 other threads where most of the others disagree with you, you seem to not have a clue what a struggle and sacrifice it is for some families to send a couple of kids to college, even for those families earning slightly more than $80,000. Apparently, neither does Biddy. 
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/720876-college-grad-now-home-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/720876-college-grad-now-home-2.html</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/721378-campus-bookstore-closing.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/721378-campus-bookstore-closing.html</a></p>
<p>If you read the article carefully this list just includes students getting school financed Merits–AKA schools buying some merit scholars. Most real Merits are not school financed.</p>
<p>“Nineteen area high school seniors are among the 2,800 winners of 2009 National Merit Scholarships financed by colleges and universities. This first wave of the annual awards, valued from $500 to $2,000 for up to four years, will be followed by another group announced in July.”</p>
<p>The Madison Initiative was officially announced March 25, 2009, well before the reply deadline.</p>
<p><a href=“http://madisoninitiative.wisc.edu/2009/03/press-release-madison-initiative-for-undergraduates-promises-quality-affordability/[/url]”>http://madisoninitiative.wisc.edu/2009/03/press-release-madison-initiative-for-undergraduates-promises-quality-affordability/</a></p>
<p>If you check, UW is low in the ranking of enrolled NM Scholars.</p>
<p>I repeat… OOS students were NOT told about the additional triple surcharge. UW’s admissions office can verify this.</p>
<p>barron, I respect your knowledge of and obvious commitment to the school, but why would you make a personal and direct attack like this? I don’t think it’s appropriate for this forum.</p>
<p>I guess it’s not enough to drive away middle-income OOS students by raising costs over and above an annual tuition increase, one has to belittle their parents for not being able to pay, as well. And making fun of the college they can afford to attend is fun, too. </p>
<p>…As if I don’t feel bad enough about letting my D2 down already. :(</p>
<p>Tough luck Jiffsmom- sounds like a lot of sour grapes from your many complaints. No sympathy for you, I’m giving mine to the students who struggle to pay for instate tuition anywhere with loans and part time jobs during the school year. Nobody is trying to drive students away, the state is trying to pay its bills and keep up the quality. You are facing the consequences of the severe economic downturn, hopefully your family hasn’t lost any jobs like so many have. You are facing criticism because of your many nasty comments, not your financial status. barrons can be harsh- and gets criticized for it. Your ultimate decision is whether UW is worth the extra money for your child. You made choices a long time ago as to where to live and work, think of all of the advantages of being where you are instead of elsewhere. Be positive, Illinois has a decent school- note how the corruption only gets the students admitted, it does not insure their success by manipulating the school’s grading et al.</p>
<p>The NMS article says NOTHING about UW being held in low esteem, it only states where the locals chose to go. There are many NMS finalists, ie students who didn’t get any money from NMS who attend UW- some may have not gotten the NMS scholarship because they never ranked UW as their top school (we’ll never know in our house, the very elite schools do outrank UW); unfortunately the numbers of finalists or semifinalists are never counted. Another reason those students from the Madison area choose other schools is to get out of town. Fortunately for me there was no Minn reciprocity or I would have taken my NMS money there just to leave my home county eons ago. Some people choose a school because they can get the NMS money, others wanted to go out of town. UW doesn’t need to offer NMS money to attract top students.</p>
<p>Tough luck Jiffsmom? That is rough. Wis75 and Barrons you say you want your beloved Wisconsin to be this great university (it is a good school) that attracts students from all 50 states yet when someone voices a complaint about unfair tuition hikes after the May 1st deposit date for out of state students that puts them over the financial edge you say “tough luck”? Take a closer look. It is a financial burden to attend WI from out of state and it will be harder for kids to attend especially if they do not get the merit aid or financial aid which is few and far between for out of state kids. It is a hard choice especially when the finanical burden was changed 7 days after the May 1st deadline. Show some compassion. Your Badger pride is Bucky ugly…</p>
<p>wis75… you obviously missed the part where I explained that the undisclosed triple surcharge made UW financially unaffordable for D2/us. This isn’t a matter of ‘doesn’t want to pay’ or ‘is UW worth it’ - this is a just a plain garden variety of ‘the undisclosed additional triple surcharge makes UW financially not doable anymore for D2, even with our help.’</p>
<p>Surely, the UW fans here on CC had to know that the addition of a triple OOS surcharge would make UW unaffordable for students/families somewhat over $80,000 but still significantly below the Chancellor’s $437,000 salary.</p>
<p>What’s interesting is that you and barrons focus only on the aspect of UW’s quality - which is very, very good - but ignore the fact that UW’s affordability is a major factor in what makes it desirable to OOSers - lose the affordability; lose OOSers with more modest incomes. I’m sorry if my complaints about UW no longer being financially doable for D2/our family offends you. It has been a very frustrating experience as we’ve had to watch D2 lose her dream school to the whims of a Chancellor who earns $437,000 per year PLUS free housing - and clearly has no idea how much of a struggle it is to put 2 kids through college on a much more modest income than she has, in an economic climate in which many families’ college savings have been decimated and extra loans are not readily available.</p>
<p>Not to mention the fact that it appears Biddy didn’t do her homework on the high tuition/high aid models. The research overwhelmingly indicates that they don’t work. Is UW really getting their money’s worth from a Chancellor who doesn’t bother to research her initiative, doesn’t even listen to her own (UW’s) experts on the matter, AND manipulates information by gagging a UW faculty member’s expert opinion?</p>
<p>
[news:</a> UW-Madison chancellor’s proposed tuition hike elicits little push-back](<a href=“captimes.com | The Capital Times: Madison WI News”>captimes.com | The Capital Times: Madison WI News)</p>
<p>[The</a> Education Optimists: I (Finally) Figured Out Why I Want Tenure](<a href=“http://eduoptimists.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-finally-figured-out-why-i-want-tenure.html]The”>The Education Optimists: I (Finally) Figured Out Why I Want Tenure)</p>
<p>Jiffsmom- I have been trying to research the OOS surcharge…can you explain the triple surcharge…I can’t seem to find it. I see the 750 per oos student and the 5-6% tuition hike but I don’t see where there is a third charge. Can anyone enlighten? what am I missing?</p>
<p>^Riiiiiiight, be sure to go right to the authority on this issue.</p>
<p>Anyway, back to the original thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-college-clout-31-may31,0,7230960.story[/url]”>http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-college-clout-31-may31,0,7230960.story</a></p>
<p>UW’s triple surcharge for OOSers is the 3 times the amount of the in-state surcharge. This is different than the way UW’s Engineering and Business schools handle their surcharges - they are the same for everyone, in-state and OOS, because OOSers do not derive 3 times the benefit from increased funding of those programs. </p>
<p>Stooge could have provided that information - but chose to be mean-spirited instead.</p>
<p>Really, plenty of nasty comments from JiffsMom, but it’s always more fun to act the victim.</p>
<p>Read up and keep in mind UW Madision has the 3rd lowest OOS tuition in the Big Ten - a bargain. In 4 years it’ll be 7500 higher, though don’t know how much higher other B Ten schools will raise their OOS tuition over next 4 years.</p>
<p>[About</a> the Madison Initiative Madison Initiative for Undergraduates](<a href=“http://madisoninitiative.wisc.edu/about/]About”>http://madisoninitiative.wisc.edu/about/)</p>
<p>Also clout doesn’t appear to help at UW Madison admissions. Good to know one is competing on an even playing field:</p>
<p>[UW-Madison</a> admissions myths: Connections with important people can get you in.](<a href=“http://www.news.wisc.edu/admissions/myth13.html]UW-Madison”>http://www.news.wisc.edu/admissions/myth13.html)</p>
<p>Let’s examine my nasty comments… Trot them out and we’ll evaluate them…</p>
<p>Clearly, some people won’t have a problem paying the additional amount. We, and many students/families like us will. I am frustrated that UW handled this so dishonestly both in the timing aspect (Madison Initiative proposal announced AFTER many colleges’ application deadlines; formal approval of surcharge AFTER May 1st decision date - both of those local announcements only, OOS applicants were never informed of either) and in gagging dissenting UW faculty higher ed expert opinion.</p>
<p>just fyi…at U of I once enrolled your tuition is frozen for four years. So the tuition you are “quoted” your freshman year remains the same for the four years you remain at the school. No tuition increases apply.</p>
<p>D2/we’re aware of that, though others may not be - thanks collegechristine! :D</p>
<p>here is the link in case someone may question me on the validity of this…</p>
<p>[U</a> of I Records: Tuition & Fee Rates](<a href=“http://registrar.illinois.edu/financial/tuition.html]U”>http://registrar.illinois.edu/financial/tuition.html)</p>
<p>This is a UW thread. I’m sure that you, JiffsMom, are not the only person going through the financial burdens of affording to pay for college. I will be attending UW from OOS next year, so believe me when I say that I completely understand. However, if you haven’t already noticed, you are the only one holding a grudge and continuously returning to the UW forum to bad-mouth it. I think that’s pretty damn low. We all have our complaints to hold against other schools, and we have all had difficult decisions to make. But unlike you, we move on and make the most of what is to come. I suggest that you go become active on the UIUC forum and find out how great a school it is, rather than continue to b**** about UW.</p>