State Policy Issues
STATE POLICY – 2025-2026 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The 2025-26 Wisconsin Legislative Session is underway. Outlined below are policy priorities included in WAICU’s legislative agenda for the current session. There will be many issues to track during the upcoming legislative session, however, issues on our proactive agenda include: increasing the state appropriation for the Wisconsin Grant–Private Nonprofit, improving programs for veteran students who want to attend WAICU institutions, proactive solutions to address both the teacher and healthcare workforce shortages, and the need to streamline dual enrollment programs for students and institutions to ensure a more equitable model.
Wisconsin Grants
The Wisconsin Grants are WAICU’s number one public policy priority. WAICU has requested a doubling of the Wisconsin Grant appropriation for low-income students attending private, nonprofit institutions. The appropriation is currently set at just over $57 million for the biennium, bringing the requested biennial appropriation total to $114 million. WAICU is making the case that the Wisconsin Grant Private Nonprofit appropriation represents less than 2 percent of all of state higher education funding while WAICU institutions graduate 24 percent of all bachelor’s degrees and 34 percent of the graduate degrees, providing an excellent return on investment for the state of Wisconsin.
Doubling the Wisconsin Grant would:
- Retain state talent and grow the local workforce
- Keep Wisconsin competitive in the Midwest and nationwide
- Strengthen a critical public-private partnership
- Enable more students to access postsecondary education needed to fill in-demand jobs
Additionally, all other Midwestern states have outpaced Wisconsin’s funding for need-based aid to students in the private, nonprofit sector; Wisconsin is now last among Midwestern states in funding to support these students. WAICU continues to support funding increases that would move the needle in helping Wisconsin compete with other Midwestern states in terms of retaining students in Wisconsin and recruiting students from other states.
Supporting Our Veteran Students
The Wisconsin Veterans Grant for Private Nonprofit Students provides financial assistance to eligible veterans and their dependents who are attending private, nonprofit colleges and universities in Wisconsin. The State of Wisconsin grant covers tuition costs of up to $2,000 per semester with a required matching grant from the participating institution. WAICU continues to support this program along with other policy proposals that support veteran students at our institutions.
Teacher Shortages
WAICU is working alongside organizations to develop solutions to address the teacher shortage and teacher retention challenges. These challenges have been exacerbated by the pandemic and the longer-term trends including teacher turnover, fewer students entering the field, and difficult working conditions. WAICU is coordinating with the Wisconsin Association of Colleges for Teacher Educators (WACTE), representing both public and private teacher preparation programs, and the Wisconsin Independent Colleges for Teacher Educators (WICTE), representing teacher preparation programs at the private colleges, to develop proactive policy proposals. WAICU members have 17 teacher preparation programs and produce nearly 25 percent of all licensed teachers in Wisconsin.
Dual Enrollment
WAICU members offer a variety of dual enrollment programs for high school students, all designed to encourage college attendance and provide high school students with the opportunity to get a head start on their college degree. These programs enable students to earn college credits while in high school, credits that can be applied toward their college education, saving time and money and providing the opportunity to get a jump start on both college and career. Dual enrollment partnerships are a critical bridge across the secondary and postsecondary continuum of education, yet the dual enrollment funding model is fractured and not adequately funded. WAICU continues to work with Wisconsin higher education stakeholders and legislators to reimagine dual enrollment policy and associated funding in Wisconsin.
Healthcare Workforce
WAICU members produce 54 percent of bachelor’s degrees and 84 percent of the advanced degrees in nursing in the state. WAICU members support the expansion of the Wisconsin Nurse Educator Program designed to recruit and retain nursing faculty in Wisconsin. The program provides loan forgiveness to individuals who commit to teach nursing in a Wisconsin-based educational institution.