<p>I think WI has or will have the same issue very soon. Minn reciprocity has stemmed some of it. How do you downsize an overbuilt system?</p>
<p>You surely don’t mean declining attendance at UW-Madison, do you, barrons? Unless you’re saying that UW-Madison hasn’t done jack squat for OOS students for, like, forever, while raising tuition to almost Ann Arbor levels. Ain’t such a great value anymore. I think between 2009 - 2013, my D’s tuition alone increased $8,000 (haven’t checked but it sure seems that way. 
) Now it’s leveled off, just as she graduated…</p>
<p>The MN reciprocity is one thing, but UW-Madison depends on full OOS tuition from IL, and they (and I) paid it. While I can’t imagine it happening in the near-to-mid future, if UW-Madison ever gets in dire financial straits, if they were to offer reciprocity to Illinois residents at, say, the average between in-state & OOS tuition, they’d be run over with applications.</p>
<p>No, I mean the other state colleges in the UW System. BTW UW tuition is still nowhere near UM’s OOS. Never has been.
What UW does do for OOS students is allow them to come to a great state university that most seem to really enjoy and value for a reasonable price. Yes, both benefit from the deal too. Don’t see that level of love from UConn, Rutgers, UMAss, SUNY or even Illinois kids. One of my best freinds from UW had gone to Illinois undergrad as did his wife. The live in Philly now but sent their daughter to UW at full pay.</p>
<p>Not an “overbuilt system”. Schools located somewhat close to home across the state. Not every student wants to go to the huge campus in Madison. No new schools or increased facilities in many decades. Most campuses are designed to suit the area students, not in the same class as UW-Madison. Does Wisconsin have the same population situation as Michigan, or family finances such as in Detroit???</p>
<p>WI has a declining HS population and fewer well qualified students among them as demographics change. Some of the current smaller campuses are below target and/or are filled by Minn reciprocity students. For the size of the state it is overbuilt.</p>
<p>^^^^For out of state students at UW, total estimated cost of attending is roughly $41,000. For Michigan, it is $55,000 if you average the cost of attending for the full four years.</p>