The University of Wisconsin is attempting to balance in-state and out-of-state enrollment, as this years out-of-state admissions exceeded the UW System’s alloted amount.
The UW System Board of Regents set a cap on the total enrollment of out-of-state undergraduates at UW at 25 percent, according to a UW statement. However, UW exceeded the cap this fall, with a 25.8 percent out-of-state student population.
According to Joanne Berg, vice provost for enrollment management, students are accepting their admission at a higher yield, a contributing factor in increased out-of-state enrollment. Berg added a key factor in this increased matriculation of out-of-state students is the relatively low out-of-state tuition UW offers.
“If you’re from out of state and your goal is to attend a world-class institution, [UW] is a bargain,” Berg said. “Wisconsin has a relatively lower out-of-state tuition than other institutions of the same stature.”
According to Berg, other universities are increasing their out-of-state tuitions as well, adding incentive for out-of-state students to apply to UW.
Berg added the UW admissions office has also made improvements that could contribute to the rise in out-of-state enrollment seen this fall, including making its internal processes more efficient.
“The admissions office has improved its internal processes which enabled them to send out acceptance letters sooner than in the past,” Berg said. “This could be one of the reasons for the greater yield in out-of-state students.”
UW System spokesperson David Giroux added these features, as well as shifts in demographics, could bring about an increase in overall offers for admission, as well as offers to out-of-state applicants.
However, despite exceeding this cap, UW offered admission to five percent more Wisconsin resident applicants this fall than it did in the fall of 2011. The university admitted 68 percent of the Wisconsin residents that applied this semester, the statement said.
According to the statement, this is an increase from the 63 percent of Wisconsin residents accepted last year.
Berg said this increase comes from a change in admission prioritization as well as a stronger emphasis on recruitment in the past year.
“The bottom line is if we have a really good pool of Wisconsin applicants, they’re going to be our first priority,” Berg said.
According to Berg, the Office of Admissions has also put major emphasis on recruiting students from Wisconsin high schools by forming stronger relationships with the schools and counselors.
Despite this effort to balance enrollment, Berg said she thinks UW exceeding the out-of-state enrollment cap should be followed by campus-wide discussions about the proper admission levels of in-state and out-of-state applicants.
“We may have to have the campus have a discussion around what the right mix is of out-of-state and in-state students,” Berg said. “It is a question our whole campus has to answer.”
Giroux said the Board of Regents cap policy was applied to all UW System campuses, but that most of the other schools are far below the 25 percent allotment, making UW a unique case that will undergo further discussion.
“[What should be done about UW exceeding the 25 percent cap] is going to be the subject of discussion at future meetings with our board,” Giroux said.
