After closures, here’s how Wisconsin counties are repurposing the UW system’s branch campuses
SABINE MARTIN
Updated
Since 2023, the Universities of Wisconsin has effectively closed eight of the UW system’s branch campuses, most of which predominantly served rural students. In 2024, the Wisconsin State Journal interviewed more than 90 people to discuss the effect of the closures.
Jay Buchacher, a second-year student at UW-Milwaukee at Washington County, practices his billiards skills during a break in classes in a student recreation center on Oct. 26, 2023. Buchacher planned to go to UW-Stevens Point for a degree in environmental science after it closed.
A street sign marks the perimeter of the former campus of UW-Milwaukee at Waukesha. A new housing development is going in place of the campus, which closed after the spring 2025 semester.
Jay Buchacher, a second-year student at UW-Milwaukee at Washington County, practices his billiards skills during a break in classes in a student recreation center on Oct. 26, 2023. Buchacher planned to go to UW-Stevens Point for a degree in environmental science after it closed.
A street sign marks the perimeter of the former campus of UW-Milwaukee at Waukesha. A new housing development is going in place of the campus, which closed after the spring 2025 semester.