Bucky’s Tuition Promise

Bucky’s Tuition Promise is a commitment to Wisconsin resident students.  The program guarantees scholarships and grants to pay for tuition and segregated fees for students whose household adjusted gross income (AGI) is $65,000 or less.  Incoming first-year students will receive eight (8) consecutive semesters (4 years) of free tuition and segregated fees and new transfer students will receive four (4) semesters (2 years).

New incoming Wisconsin resident students that intend to enroll in an on-campus program, whether first-year or transfer, whose household AGI is $65,000 or less.  Only income, not assets will be used to determine eligibility.  See the Eligibility & Deadline chart below.

Household AGI is a combination of a student’s AGI plus their parent(s)’ AGI as reflected both on the federal income tax return and on the FAFSA.

Incoming first-year students are eligible to receive eight (8) consecutive semesters (4 years) of tuition and segregated fees.  New transfer students are eligible for four (4) consecutive semesters (2 years).

No.  This program is only for students enrolled in their first bachelor’s degree.

No.  Bucky’s Tuition Promise is only for students earning their first bachelor’s degree.

There are other financing options! Students are strongly encouraged to submit the FAFSA and apply for scholarships through the Wisconsin Scholarship Hub (WiSH).  Our office also provide a Net Price Calculator to help estimate a student’s financial aid offer.

No. Bucky’s Tuition Promise is automatically awarded to eligible students who have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®).  No separate application is necessary and the Office of Student Financial Aid will notify eligible students.

Yes.  All students eligible for Bucky’s Tuition Promise are required to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) and are required to do so on an annual basis.

Yes. Students should complete their FAFSA® each year and as soon as possible after it becomes available. UW-Madison will not have a priority deadline due to the delayed release of the 2025-26 FAFSA®, but we expect it will return in future years.

The Office of Student Financial Aid will be holding events throughout the spring semester to assist students with completing the new FAFSA®.

Any increases to the household AGI that occur in subsequent tax years will not impact a student’s eligibility for this program.

Only incoming students will be considered for Bucky’s Tuition Promise.  However, decreases to a student’s household AGI may help the student be eligible for additional financial aid outside of the program.

Only those students who become a Wisconsin resident during their first academic year at UW-Madison will be considered for Bucky’s Tuition Promise.  We will review these applications based on remaining funding.

Students who lose Wisconsin resident status will be removed from the program for future terms, though they may still be eligible for other sources of financial aid.

Structured as a last-dollar award, Bucky’s Tuition Promise will supplement the gap between any scholarships or grants offered outside of this program and the full cost of tuition and segregated fees. Institutional scholarships (i.e. from UW-Madison Schools/Colleges/Departments) will be excluded from the calculation with the exception of UW-Madison scholarships that either cover a student’s full cost of tuition and segregated fees or that are paid from the Athletic Department. If a student receives other scholarships or grants from any other source, these awards would be considered in determining the gap between current grant/scholarship aid and the full cost of tuition and segregated fees.

This also means that although a student is receiving Bucky’s Tuition Promise, they may not have a “Buckys Tuition Promise” included as part of their financial aid offer.

Segregated fees are those charges, in addition to tuition, assessed to all students for student services, activities, programs, and facilities.  The current listing of fees is available from the Bursar’s Office.

In addition to segregated fees, new students will also have both their New Student Fee ($306 First-Year, $230 Transfers) and official-document fee ($130) paid through Bucky’s Tuition Promise.

We strongly encourage students to maintain full-time enrollment; however, Bucky’s Tuition Promise will cover the student’s tuition so long as they are eligible for the program.

Students enrolled in less then 6 credits (half-time) would not be eligible to receive Federal Direct Loans.

Because the program only guarantees funding for four (4) consecutive years for incoming first-year students and two (2) years for new transfer students, students can make the most of their financial aid by maintaining full-time enrollment.

No.  Bucky’s Tuition Promise only applies to fall and spring semesters and cannot be applied to summer term tuition or fees.  However, other financing options may be available for summer educational expenses, including both the Undergraduate Scholarship for Summer Study and the Transfer Scholars Summer Award.

Although Bucky’s Tuition Promise is not available to assist in paying Study Abroad-related expenses, students should still submit their FAFSA as other financing options may be available.  We strongly encourage students who are considering studying abroad to meet with both a Study Abroad (https://studyabroad.wisc.edu/) and Financial Aid advisor to consider all of their options.

Although Bucky’s Tuition Promise is not available to assist in paying for coursework taken at another school, students should still submit their FAFSA® as other financing options may be available. We strongly encourage students who are considering taken coursework at another school to meet with a Financial Aid advisor to consider all of their options.

As co-op students tend to only enroll in one-credit during the semester they participate, the only financial aid a co-op student may be eligible to receive is the Federal Pell Grant. And if needed, co-op students will be automatically granted an additional semester of financial aid eligibility to complete their degree.

Yes. If a student does not meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements, the student will either need an approved appeal or must meet the SAP requirements before any financial aid is received for subsequent terms – including financial aid provided through Bucky’s Tuition Promise.

The success of our students is extremely important to us. Students that receive Bucky’s Tuition Promise are encouraged to take advantage of existing resources.

Although additional funding is not guaranteed, students receiving Bucky’s Tuition Promise who use their full eligibility but haven’t yet graduated will be reviewed internally to see if any additional funding may be offered.  Students will be notified by the Office of Student Financial Aid of funding options for terms that extend beyond their eight (8) semesters for incoming first-year students or four (4) semesters for incoming transfers.