Claims in the Mary Burke-Scott Walker race about higher education

The cost of higher education -- and even Gov. Scott Walker's experience as an undergraduate -- have been fodder for statements in the race between Walker and his Democratic challenger, Mary Burke.

Here's a look at college-related claims we've rated, along with an article on Walker's time at Marquette University.

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"My opponent supported policies that increased tuition by 18 percent."

-- Scott Walker, Oct. 20, 2014, in a campaign TV ad

False: Burke was in state government when that happened, but Walker offers no evidence that she backed tuition hikes other than Burke lauding her boss as she went to work for Doyle.

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"After years of 5.5 percent average tuition increases, we now have a two-year tuition freeze for the first time in the history of the UW System."  

-- Walker, Jan. 22, 2014, in a speech

Mostly True: Tuition increases were 5.5 percent or more for at least the two years before the current two-year freeze, depending on whether you’re considering tuition at the four-year universities or the two-year colleges. The current freeze is the first two-year freeze system-wide, but not the first for the system’s two-year colleges.

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"We have 41,000 people right now on the waitlist for financial-based assistance for our tech colleges and universities," most of them for tech schools.

-- Burke, Sept. 22, 2014, in an interview

Mostly True: There is a large waiting list, and Burke cites a credible source on its size. But some variations in how the lists are defined by the different institutions mean the number should be treated with some caution.

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Gov. Scott Walker dropped out or was kicked out of college short of a degree "not long after" he was "kicked out of student elections at Marquette University."

-- Democratic Party of Wisconsin, in a Nov. 19, 2013 web posting

False: The party offered nothing to back up its claims, and our investigation found no backup either. And statements by Marquette go a long way to contradicting the party’s statements.

Also in this series: Business growth, jobs, taxes and state budget, education and miscellaneous.