Fall freshman applications hit new record

by Carolyn Potts

Thursday, February 21, 2008 02:19

The University of Wisconsin announced Wednesday it has received a record number of freshman applications for fall 2008.

Admissions Director Robert Seltzer said the university has already received 24,759 applications for the fall freshman class, up from 24,210 last year. He added the number of applications has been steadily increasing for at least 10 years.

“In truth, students are applying to multiple places in increasing numbers,” Seltzer said. “Students that used to apply to two or three institutions are now applying to five or six or more.”

According to Middleton High School guidance counselor Gale Meyer, 75 to 80 percent of the school’s high school students are planning to go to college after graduation, and they are encouraged to apply to several schools to ensure acceptance. One student applied to 22 schools, Meyer added.

Meyer said because of the increasing standards universities have been looking for, nothing is certain no matter how high students’ grades and standardized test scores are.

“We have at least 100 applications to Madison (in a class of about 500) every year,” Meyer said. “If they are applying to Madison, if they don’t have at least a 3.9 and a 27 on the ACT, we don’t tell them they won’t get in, but we encourage them to apply to a backup school.”

UW plans to accept around 12,000 applicants, with the expectation that around 5,600 will choose to enroll. Last year, 56 percent of students who applied were admitted into the fall 2007 freshman class.

According to Seltzer, the percentage of accepted students who ultimately enroll at UW varies based on residency.

“Wisconsin residents accept our offer of admissions at about a 60 percent rate,” he said. “Nonresidents accept our offer of admission at about 25 percent.”

Seltzer also said the increase in applications coming in to UW is due to the university’s prestige within the collegiate world.

“We are the flagship institution, and a lot of people want to come here,” he said. “We are doing a lot of things right at Wisconsin. People are graduating on time, they’re satisfied with their education, and the alumni love us.”

For Meyer and Seltzer, UW offers a good education at a reasonable price.

“Why go to a school that is $55,000 a year, when the University of Wisconsin is a prestigious school that costs much less?” Seltzer said. “Cost is becoming a big issue for students.”

With the increased difficulty of admission to UW, the university is giving students the option of guaranteed acceptance to the school for their sophomore year if they go to a community college like Madison Area Technical College, or attend a two-year UW school for their freshman year.

According to Meyer, however, most students are uninterested in this plan.

“The university touted that as a new program, but it’s nothing new,” he said. “They have just repackaged it, and it hasn’t had much affect on students.”