Wisconsin
Universities of Wisconsin enrollment up, record increase of freshmen enrolled
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Universities of Wisconsin announced Wednesday that enrollment is up for the third straight year thanks to a record number of freshmen enrolling in the system.
Enrollment across the universities for Fall 2025 topped out at 164,626 students, an increase of 190 students from Fall 2024.
This year’s enrollment numbers mark the first time enrollment has increased three years in a row since 2010.
The universities experienced a 5.5% increase, or 1,033 students, in Wisconsin resident new freshmen, and nine of the 13 universities experienced a jump in enrollment numbers.
“This is a moment worth celebrating,” said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. “Three years of sustained growth shows that students and families see the Universities of Wisconsin as a smart investment in themselves and in Wisconsin’s future. It will help Wisconsin win the war for talent.”
For the increase, Rothman credits the Direct Admit Wisconsin program and the 2025 Wisconsin Tuition Promise. These programs, funded through the universities and Ascendium, helped show a 9% enrollment increase at seven participating universities.
“Direct Admit Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Tuition Promise have opened doors for more students across the state,” Rothman explained. “These initiatives are driving broad-based growth that reflects our commitment to serving all Wisconsinites.”
Overall enrollment numbers were slowed by a decline of 7.6% in international students.
Data shows UW-Madison has the most students, with 51,481 enrolled for the Fall 2025 semester. UW Superior is the smallest, with 2,872 enrolled students.
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MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly announced Tuesday the launch of a new statewide project focusing on shaping the future of education and student success.
Portrait of a Graduate was created by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to help prepare high school students for life after high school, including college, careers and community leadership.
With students having to navigate new challenges involving technology, the cost of living and evolving career paths, the project was created to give students the knowledge, skills and experiences they need, no matter what post-graduate path they take.
“We want to broaden Wisconsin’s vision for student success,” Dr. Underly said. “The world our students are preparing to enter is changing quickly, and it is critical that we hear directly from the people who know our communities best. Academic rigor is always a top priority and will not change, but we also need to ensure students leave our schools prepared to think critically, adapt, communicate, solve problems, and thrive.”
A committee of educators, students, higher education partners, statewide education organizers, employers and representatives from industries across Wisconsin is helping guide the project.
The Department of Public Instruction will be holding virtual listening sessions scheduled for May 27 from noon to 1 p.m. and June 3 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Registration for the session or more information can be found on the Department of Public Instruction’s website.
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Copyright 2026 WMTV. All rights reserved.
Yes
A deal between Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders to give Wisconsin income tax filers a rebate would have excluded about 30% of filers.
That’s because the deal provided rebates up to $300 for individuals and $600 for married joint filers only to residents who paid state income taxes for 2024.
The deal, which failed to pass in the state Senate, also reduced property taxes, increased funding for schools and ended taxes on tips and some overtime pay.
According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, about 2.1 million residents would have received the rebates. Based on that and the U.S. Census estimates, 55% of adults would not be eligible for tax rebates based on not having owed taxes or because they did not file a return. Of those who filed, about 26% were not eligible for a rebate, LFB estimated.
This fact brief responds to conversations like this one.
Sources
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Estimated Distribution of Individual Income Tax Rebate under May 2026 Special Session LRB-6707 and LRB-6710 (“the bill”),
U.S. Census, Age and Sex
Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Individual Income Tax – Filing Requirements
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel collaborated with Wisconsin Watch to develop this fact brief. Wisconsin Watch is a member of the Gigafact program, newsrooms across the U.S. that deliver bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read more about our methodology at jsonline.com/FactBriefMethods.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Wisconsin officials sent out a statewide alert Monday for a missing 69-year-old woman who was last seen on Friday in Stoughton.
Authorities said the family of Pamela Mael last spoke to her around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22.
Mael was last seen in the 800 block of West Main Street, in Stoughton, Wisconsin Department of Justice said in the Silver Alert.
Her family members told the Stoughton Police Department that she has potentially declined cognitively and has been sick for the last two months.
The alert noted Mael’s vehicle was last seen around 3 p.m. Sunday heading south on Highway 14, near Highway 92, outside of Brooklyn. Mael drives a 2005 red Toyota Camry with license plate number AUA5536.
On the driver’s side rear window of Mael’s car, she has a red bear paw sticker that says Ho-Chunk.
Police described Mael as being 5-feet-3-inches tall, weighing about 112 pounds and having brown eyes and brown hair.
Mael has tattoos that are colored black, white or red. The Silver Alert said she has a dream catcher tattoo on her right upper arm, a flower on her left shoulder, a wolf howling at the moon on her left calf, a pair of dice on her left foot and an infinity sign with the names Zachary and Shelby on her left forearm.
Anyone who sees her was asked to call the Stoughton Police Department at 608-873-3374.
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Copyright 2026 WMTV. All rights reserved.
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