The criteria, they are a changin’. Criteria for admittance to the University of Wisconsin have been rising along with the number of applications submitted.

“It’s a highly competitive student body,” said Keith White, assistant director of admissions at UW. “It’s about supply and demand. We have a set number of 5,700 spots next fall, and we expect 24,000 applications.”

Those 24,000 applicants must meet a new set of standards set by UW. In 1996, the average UW freshman had an average ACT score of 26.3. Six years later, the average ACT has risen to 27.5.

White maintains that “there is no set rank in class or GPA or test score a student must hit,” to gain admission.

White also said UW takes into consideration the strength of the student’s schedule. This can be done by examining the quality of the high school’s curriculum.

“Most of our candidates take a rigorous course of study,” White said. “As for students who don’t demonstrate motivation, we are going to look at their grades more harshly than someone who has taken a stronger course load.”

White said there are 55,000 high schools in the United States, and no region necessarily has a better standard of education that can influence a student’s chance for admission.

White, who maintained admissions officers “don’t penalize a student for what they couldn’t do,” acknowledged students from smaller high schools might find themselves with a handicap when thrown in with students from larger high schools.

“I think a student from a smaller high school may find himself in an environment where depth of program might not be as extensive as one is exposed to in a bigger school,” he said.

White said disadvantages students from smaller schools often face include a lack of foreign-language opportunities and fewer advanced-placement courses.

“We take those things into account and don’t penalize a student for what they couldn’t do,” White said. “On the other hand, there are really large high schools that aren’t as prestigious as some smaller high schools.”

UW is not unique in the respect that its admissions criteria and the number of students in its applicant pool are both rising. UW-Eau Claire is reporting a record number of applications. Also, UW-La Crosse has greatly narrowed the gap between itself and Madison in terms of admissions criteria.

Coletta Bina, advising chair for Madison East High School, said UW-La Crosse has been one of the harder schools to get into lately but added that each UW school is increasing its qualifications.

“What has happened is that UW-L has gotten more applications, and with more applications you tend to take higher-ranking students,” Bina said. “UW-L also pushes to get applications in early. Those students who aren’t on the ball with their applications might not get in.”

“Overall, I would say a number of the UW schools are getting harder to get into. There are also some special programs in the UW System that are pretty hard to get into,” she said