On Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers signed into a law a change in Wisconsin-Minnesota tuition reciprocity regulations that will provide additional revenue for UW-River Falls and other Universities of Wisconsin schools. UW-River Falls Chancellor Maria Gallo, in red directly behind Evers, attended the bill signing ceremony and has strongly backed the funding change. UWRF photo. 
 

Gov. Evers signs into law tuition reciprocity change that will benefit UW-River Falls
 

Gov. Evers signs into law tuition reciprocity change that will benefit UW-River Falls

March 6, 2024 – University of Wisconsin-River Falls Chancellor Maria Gallo joined others Wednesday at the state Capitol in Madison as Gov. Tony Evers signed into law a change in Wisconsin-Minnesota tuition reciprocity regulations that will provide additional revenue for UW-River Falls and other Universities of Wisconsin schools.

The tuition reciprocity bill approved last month by the Assembly and Senate will allow UW-River Falls and other Wisconsin public universities to retain the full share of tuition revenue that Minnesota students pay to attend Wisconsin schools. That amount is higher than what Wisconsin students pay. 

Without tuition reciprocity funding, UW-River Falls is losing between $3 million and $4 million per year in revenue, Gallo said. 

“That is revenue that could have been reinvested in UWRF, meeting student demands and filling regional employer needs,” Gallo said. “That revenue would allow us to offer more innovative, high-quality programming for our students, add advisers and support student success, including as it relates to mental health.”

Previously, the additional funding paid by Minnesota students went to the general fund of the state budget. Allowing universities to retain those dollars will provide UW-River Falls with much-needed additional money, Gallo said. Nearly half of UW-River Falls students are from Minnesota, the highest percentage among Universities of Wisconsin schools. 

The added revenue made possible by the new tuition reciprocity agreement will also allow UW-River Falls to increase hands-on educational opportunities in partnership with local employers, bringing additional innovation and business collaboration to the region, Gallo said. Such agreements could be especially important as construction continues on the university’s Science and Technology Innovation Center scheduled to open in January 2026.

“As employers in our region look to us to help them fill their workforce and talent needs, UW-River Falls is uniquely poised to be a part of the solution, with our access to the large and diverse student market in the Twin Cities,” she said. “This new agreement allows us to fully capitalize on and reinvest the revenue we raise through tuition reciprocity.”

Gallo is among UW-River Falls officials and students who have advocated for changes to the state’s tuition reciprocity rules in recent years. She thanked Evers for signing the bill and praised state lawmakers who represent River Falls – Rep. Shannon Zimmerman, Rep. Warren Petryk, Sen. Jeff Smith and Sen. Rob Stafsholt – for supporting the tuition reciprocity bill. Stafsholt was lead author of the Senate bill, and Zimmerman was lead of the Assembly bill.