Tuition will be 5.5 percent higher next fall for most University of Wisconsin System students.

The increases approved Thursday mean undergraduates will pay about $350 more at UW-Madison, $340 more at UW-Milwaukee and $265 more at 11 other four-year universities next year.

The plan approved by the Board of Regents freezes tuition at the system's 13 two-year colleges for the second straight year at about $4,270.

System officials say more than half of the increase will pay for an unfunded state mandate giving all veterans free tuition. The rest of the money will help pay for enrollment increases on some campuses and other expenses.

In dollar amounts, the increases are the second lowest in the past six years.