Wisconsin residents who are enrolled members of federally recognized Wisconsin Indian tribes may have their University of Wisconsin Law School in-state tuition and fees covered as part of a new five-year pilot program.

This is just one element of a wider Wisconsin Tribal Educational Promise program announced today by UW–Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. 

Starting in the fall of 2024, the pilot program will cover resident tuition for full-time J.D. students for three academic years. Currently enrolled as well as newly incoming students will qualify regardless of financial need.

“This is a cornerstone of our commitment to increasing access while also growing our presence in areas of law that are essential to Native nations and peoples," Dean Dan Tokaji said.

The program does not rely on taxpayer funding; rather, it’s supported by other institutional resources, such as private donations.

Since 2016, a Native Nations working group at UW–Madison has sought to create educational networks, respectful research relationships and culturally responsive engagement programs with the Native nations of Wisconsin. In 2019, the university installed the Our Shared Future heritage marker on Bascom Hill, pledging a shared future of collaboration and innovation with the Ho-Chunk Nation, on whose ancestral land the university sits.

Submitted by Law School News on December 19, 2023

This article appears in the categories: Features