College can be hard enough; make it easier with these resources available for Wisconsin college students.
With newfound independence and the ability to start to make decisions about one’s future, there is no denying that college is an exciting time—but it can also be extremely stressful. Between the exorbitant cost of tuition, housing, and books, and the stress of the workload, college can be a tough experience.
That’s why it helps that Wisconsin offers college students throughout the state an abundance of free resources to help ease the financial, emotional, and mental burden that can come with attending college. Free resources vary by school, but most universities and colleges throughout the state offer students help with tuition costs, mentorship opportunities, access to food, and local discounts.
This article is not all-encompassing of the resources available to college students throughout Wisconsin. For more information on specific resources for each university and college in Wisconsin, contact your respective educational institution to find out what resources are available for students.
Tuition support
One of the most stressful parts of attending college is the cost of tuition. The average cost of one year in college in the United States is $38,270, with a vast majority of that cost going toward tuition. Scholarships can help to ease that financial burden, and Wisconsin also has some resources for college students in the state to help bring down the cost of tuition, including the Wisconsin Tuition Promise, a program that covers tuition costs for Wisconsin residents who come from low-income households.
Students don’t need to apply for the program; it’s automatically determined based on information collected from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Wisconsin Tuition Program applies to students enrolling in the University of Wisconsin system and who come from households that make less than $55,000 per year. The program covers tuition and fees for four years for eligible first-time students.
The Wisconsin Tuition Promise is determined by specific funding cycles and is not available every year—as of 2026, it’s been available to students who enrolled in 2023 and 2025. The program does not apply to students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which has its own tuition support program, Bucky’s Tuition Promise, or to students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which has a program, Milwaukee Tuition Promise.
Help with FAFSA
In order to get federal help with financial aid, students, as well as their parents if they are dependents, have to fill out a FAFSA. But filling out the application can sometimes be confusing, especially for first-timers. College Goal Wisconsin helps to remove some of that confusion by offering local assistance for completing the FAFSA. The organization hosts free in-person and virtual FAFSA workshops throughout the state for anyone with questions on filling out the application.
Food pantries
There are a lot of costs associated with going to school, like books and tuition, but there are even more costs that come with living independently, which many college students are doing for the first time, like buying food. While colleges and universities throughout Wisconsin offer plenty of dining options and meal plans, some students still struggle to find affordable food. Some Wisconsin universities try to combat this by offering food pantries, where students can get free, nutritious food, including the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Grants
In addition to scholarships, grant funding is one of the best ways to help cover the cost of college tuition. In Wisconsin, there are numerous grants that can be utilized by college students who fit within the respective grant’s requirements to help cover the cost of their education.
The State of Wisconsin offers the Talent Incentive Program Grants, which provide low-income and disadvantaged Wisconsin students with $600 to $1,800 in funding. College freshmen who are attending a university or college in Wisconsin can be considered for the grant.
The Wisconsin Grant provides funding for part-time and full-time students who are Wisconsin residents and enrolled in the University of Wisconsin system.
Students who are at least one-quarter Native American can apply for the Indian Student Assistance Grant, and it can be used at schools in the University of Wisconsin system, as well as tribal colleges, Wisconsin technical colleges, and private colleges and universities throughout the state. Recipients can receive between $250 and $1,100.
Any student who has a hearing or visual impairment can also apply for a grant of up to $1,800. Recipients have to be Wisconsin residents and undergraduate students.
Legal help
College students in Wisconsin don’t have to be majoring in pre-law to become more informed about the law. Students at numerous colleges and universities throughout the state have access to legal help for numerous circumstances through Law for Learners. The program was founded in 2019, and the organization has partnered with 40 different colleges and universities to provide legal advice, referrals, representation, or general assistance with things like filling out forms and understanding court proceedings.
Software
College students already spend enough money on, well, everything. So thankfully, most universities and colleges in Wisconsin offer an array of software, which is typically pretty expensive, for free.
With their personal accounts, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students can download software such as Microsoft 365, which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook; Read&Write, a text-to-speech program that reads text aloud; and think-cell, which can be used to create presentations. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has an extensive software library that includes TechSmith Camtasia, which students can use to create video tutorials, as well as Adobe Creative Cloud.
Additional discounts
Going to college is a pretty expensive endeavor for the most part, so any additional savings that students can get are always helpful. While not a free resource, there are many discounts available to college students in Wisconsin that many might not know about.
By showing a student ID, Wisconsin college students can get a discount at places like the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Milwaukee Public Museum, and AMC Theatres. Students can also save money on travel, as Amtrak offers 15 percent off train tickets for college students, making a trip home or across the state to see friends a bit more affordable.
