The Milwaukee Tuition Promise aims to increase the number of Wisconsin residents who graduate with a bachelor’s degree – especially first-generation students and those from low-to-moderate income households. This will improve lives and help meet the state’s workforce needs.
What’s Covered (And What’s Not)
The tuition promise provides up to four years of tuition and segregated fees for students coming from families earning less than $62,000 annually.
The promise covers tuition and segregated fees for the fall and spring semesters. It does not cover summer or UWinteriM classes, and it does not cover differentials or special course fees. It also does not cover housing and food—students are responsible for those costs.
The tuition promise is structured to provide “last dollar” financial aid after federal and state grants; students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify.1
Eligibility Requirements
- Wisconsin residents as determined for tuition purposes.
- First-time bachelor- or associate-degree seeking student (includes first-time transfer).
- Must be enrolling at UWM for the first time.
- Must file a FAFSA. This must be done by the first day of the first term students enroll and by the first day of the first term of every subsequent aid year.
- In the first year, family adjusted gross income (AGI) must be $62,000 or lower. For independent students, it must be $31,000 or lower.
- Later income changes will not affect eligibility.
- Eight semesters of eligibility total for bachelor-degree-seeking students. Four semesters of eligibility for associate-degree-seeking and transfer students. A student who transfers after the first year could be eligible for six semesters. The semester count starts during the student’s first semester of enrollment at UWM. Because the Flexible Option Program is not based on semesters, Flexible Option Program students are not eligible.
- Must meet Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) and other Title IV eligibility requirements.
- Must be enrolled full-time at UWM.2
- Must be continuously enrolled during fall and spring semesters. No taking a semester off!
Additional Information
Interested in UWM? Fill out the form below for more info.
- UWM reserves the right to reduce promise grant levels if the federal government reduces or eliminates Pell Grant funding or alters the Pell Grant program. It also may reduce promise grant levels if the State of Wisconsin reduces, alters or eliminates the Wisconsin Grant Program or any higher education funding. ↩︎
- For the Milwaukee Tuition Promise, full-time enrollment means full-time as defined by the federal government and/or State of Wisconsin for full eligibility for Pell Grants or any other applicable financial aid programs/awards. ↩︎