Governor Tony Evers ’73, MS’76, PhD’86 signed the $111 billion 2025–27 Wisconsin state budget into law on July 3, 2025, following negotiations between leaders of the Republican-controlled state senate and assembly and the Democratic governor. Here are three things you need to know about how this budget will impact UW–Madison:
- The budget provides $160 million in tax dollars to renovate historic Science Hall. This funding, along with private donations, will restore an important building in the heart of the UW campus. The budget does not fund UW–Madison’s top capital project priority, the removal of the Mosse Humanities Building and relocation of the School of Music and Department of Art faculty who remain there.
The budget does provide authority for the university to renovate dining halls in DeJope and Chadbourne Residence Halls. However, it does not approve the construction of new dormitories to meet the high demand on campus. It is important to note that the renovations and expansion of housing operations are funded with revenues generated by UW Housing. No taxpayer funds are required for these projects. - The budget increases general purpose revenue for the Universities of Wisconsin by $256 million, which is the largest budget increase for higher education in Wisconsin in several decades. Much of the increase in funding supports a 5 percent rise in faculty and staff salaries over two years, and $27 million to attract faculty in high-demand fields of study. As you know, top-quality teaching, research, and outreach staff are fundamental to the UW–Madison experience. These funds will help attract and retain the best and brightest.
- The budget agreement also includes a provision that UW–Madison and all other Universities of Wisconsin institutions establish new requirements for faculty and instructional academic staff workload. This is intended to ensure that faculty and staff have a minimum load of classes each year. Educator excellence is a core strength for UW–Madison. Our university is also a world leader in research and has a centuries-old commitment to outreach, expressed through the Wisconsin Idea. Campus leadership is committed to finding a workload policy that balances all three of these unique priorities.
To learn more, visit UW–Madison’s state budget web page at budget.wisc.edu.
