UW looking to keep top students in state through scholarship program

The $5 million in scholarships a year would cost taxpayers nothing.

It’s being called the biggest Wisconsin scholarship program in state history. 

Merit-based $5,000 scholarships to the top high school students throughout Wisconsin who attend UW schools. Up to a thousand of those per year under the program announced Tuesday.

University of Wisconsin System president Ray Cross says that’s exactly the type of thing the system needs to stay competitive.

“We are competing today with other states who are offering full rides – full rides – to the best and brightest from our state,” Cross said. “We’re losing too many of them and this is a way for us to attempt to keep them, retain them.”

The innovative program would provide $5 million in scholarships every year. That money would come from interest on a trust fund built up from public land sales to fund the scholarships indefinitely. No taxpayer dollars would be used. 

“It’s something that is, in my opinion, translating real estate capital into human capital the state badly needs,” Cross said.

Some critics have complained that the scholarships wouldn’t necessarily help low income students. 

Lawmakers would still have to approve of the program.