UW System to launch direct admissions program next school year

 

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Next year, the Universities of Wisconsin will launch a direct admissions program aimed at making the process of applying for college easier for high school students.

Under the program, high school students could be automatically accepted into UW schools without even applying.

Students would skip the traditional method of applying online, writing a college essay, and instead be automatically admitted into one or more campuses based on certain qualifications, such as grade point average and class rank.

Julie Amon, vice president of Student Enrollment & Success at the UW System, said the goal of the program is to encourage more students, especially those who may not see themselves as having the potential, to attend a four-year university.

"Based on your junior grades, how you're doing in your high school classes, what courses you're taking, your college material,' Amon said. "We're trying to say we want you and there's a place for you at the UW System."

The UW System plans to send offer letters to students starting in July 2024. Wisconsin will join one of 10 states that have direct admissions programs that are designed to address declining enrollment and boost graduation rates.

The UW system saw a slight uptick in enrollment this year, but there's been a steady decline over the last decade.

Taylor Odle, assistant professor of educational policy studies at UW-Madison, said direct admissions can hopefully change those longstanding trends by removing some of the barriers students face when thinking about applying for college.

"Streamline the process for them to ultimately enroll so the hurdles are not as large for them, the asks are not as big," Odel said. "Then they can focus more on should I enroll in college and where should I enroll."

Ten of UW's 13 campuses are participating in the program. UW-Madison, UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse are not.

So far, 331 public schools and 10 private high schools have opted to join the program.

Republicans are also seeking to address enrollment by proposing legislation that would directly admit high school students into UW-Madison if they finish in the top 5% of their class. That threshold would be 10% at all other UW campuses.

The UW System pledged to support the bill in part of an agreement they made with Republican lawmakers on diversity initiatives and pay raises.

Odle believes the bill and the direct admissions program would work well together but he expressed it could be a repetitive process since most students would already be admitted to other UW schools.

"I think it takes the teeth out of the 10% everywhere else, because everyone else will already be admitted to the other UW system schools regardless if you are in the top 10%," Odle said. "Everyone who opts in will be accepted through direct admissions."

Free Tuition Program 

UW-Madison announced they will cover tuition costs for students from Wisconsin Indian tribes under a new program unveiled Monday. 

The Wisconsin Tribal Educational Promise will being next fall.

Current and incoming students will have to be members of the Wisconsin Indian Tribes to qualify. They will need to provide proof of enrollment through either a tribal ID card or letter.