
- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will now cover the full cost of an undergraduate degree and tuition for certain graduate students who are Wisconsin residents and also enrolled members of a federally recognized Wisconsin Tribe beginning fall of 2024.
The initiative, dubbed the e Wisconsin Tribal Educational Program, covers the full cost of an undergraduate degree, as well asin-state tuition, housing, meals, books, and other educational expenses. The program will also cover the cost of in-state tuition for professional students pursuing a J.D. (law) or M.D. (medical) degree.
“As a university, we are deeply committed to a future of mutual respect and cooperation with the American Indian tribes in Wisconsin,” Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a press release. “This program is another tangible, meaningful step in that direction.”
The program is not based on financial need, and will be awarded regardless of family income. Current students who qualify will also receive the program’s financial support beginning in the fall of 2024.

Mnookin met with the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council over the past year to discuss the proposed program and make changes per the council’s feedback. In October, the council unanimously voted to support the Wisconsin Tribal Educational Program.
“While several other states have programs with similar goals, we are not aware of another effort that goes this far financially to help Native students afford higher education,” said Shannon Holsey, chairwoman of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, in a press release. “This program sends a strong message that our students are important to the state’s flagship university.”
Despite that the University is located on Ho-Chunk (Hooçak) land, UW-Madison enrolled a total of 50,633 students for the 2023-24 academic year, and Native students only accounted for 134 of them, according to the Office of the Registrar of UW-Madison.
Since 2016, a Native Nations working group at UW-Madison has been working to create a strategic plan to build relationships with the 11 federally recognized Tribes of Wisconsin. In 2019, the university pledged a shared future collaboration with the Ho-Chunk Nation.
“It is our hope that more Native students will take a second look at UW–Madison and realize that we are not out of reach,” said Carla Vigue, UW–Madison's director of tribal relations, in a press release. “I want Native students to know that, once here, we have support and services that can help them thrive and feel a real sense of belonging at this world-class university.”
More Stories Like This
Native Forward Scholars Fund Announces 2025 Students of the Year at Empowering Scholars SummitNavajo Nation Speaker Curley and Council Delegate Dr. Nez Join Education Leaders to Address Federal Budget Cuts
Mackie Moore (Cherokee) Named Interim President of Haskell Indian Nations University
Mohawk Students File Legal Suit Over Changes Impacting Access to Federal Financial Aid
Trump Administration Proposes Deep Cuts to Tribal College Funding, Threatening Their Survival
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher