The loan changes may lure more professional students to UW-Madison and other public universities, where the cost of attendance is typically lower than at private institutions.
The UW Law School, for example, has aggressively fundraised to offer more need-based scholarships, contributing to a drop in the percentage of student borrowers from 78% in 2014 to 62% in 2024, said Rebecca Scheller, the law school’s associate dean for admissions and financial aid.