For the sixth consecutive year tuition will increase by 5.5 percent for the 2012-2013 academic year.

James Bronson, associate professor of Management, has noticed students working longer hours at part-time jobs as tuition has increased. He also noted “as tuition goes up, state support has gone down … they pretty much offset each other.”

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, UW System President Kevin Reilly called the maximum tuition increase allowed by the Legislature “modest” and “predictable.”

The Regents made the decision to raise tution to avoid cutting the “muscle” within the UW System by not diminishing the quality of education students recieve.

According to uwwcost.uww.edu, in the 2011-2012 school year a Wisconsin resident who goes to school full time paid $3,598 for tuition. Based on the increase, that same student will pay $3,795.89.

An out-of-state full-time student paid $7,384 last year, but will pay $7,790.12 this year.

A budget lapse is another way the university is trying to balance funds.

UW-Whitewater has already paid the state of Wisconsin approximately $2 million toward the one-time budget lapse for the 2011-2013 biennial year. Another $835,000 will be taken from the upcoming academic year’s budget.

“We planned for both budget lapses at the same time,” University Budget Director Aimee Arnold said. This means students, faculty and staff should not notice any changes around campus for the upcoming school year.

“We’re very fortunate the lapse is not continuing after the 2013 school year,” Arnold said. “For most other state agencies, the lapse is continuing.”