The University of Wisconsin released figures Monday stating that the current freshman class is the smartest class to ever attend the university.
UW spokesman Kent Barrett said incoming students’ GPAs and ACT scores normally go up incrementally from year to year.
“Generally, the freshman class gets higher and higher (marks),” Barrett said. “We see an increase in almost every year in ACT scores.”
Of the more than 4,300 students who submitted ACT results, the average score rose a 10th of a percent from last year’s results, from 27.4 to 27.5, and has risen from 25.7 in 1993, all above the state averages of this year of 22.2 and the national average of 20.8.
Director of Admissions Rob Seltzer said in a press release that academic issues are at the core of the admissions policy, but diversity also continues to be a major priority of UW. This is shown by the increase of 90 international students this year, bringing the number to 308 international students, and the stable incoming enrollment of 629 students of color this year compared to 640 last year, with modest increases in the numbers of African American and Native American students.
The freshman class represents nearly all Wisconsin counties and states and more than 100 foreign countries.
University officials accepted more applicants than last year, while the number of students applying to UW-Madison decreased by nearly 1,000.
Other elements factor into UW admission acceptance, including socioeconomic background and a student’s involvement during high school. Of the incoming freshmen, 64 percent received a varsity letter during their high school career, 27 percent volunteered at a hospital, clinic or home, and 22 percent received recognition or an award for their contributions to community service.
UW freshman Kate Mirocha said she thinks the emphasis high schools put on getting into college might be the cause for the more academically savvy freshmen class.
“There’s a lot of pressure (for high school students) to work harder and to do something better with themselves,” Mirocha said. She added that the many parents who were not able to attend college but can afford to send their children to post-secondary institutions might also add an extra incentive.
UW junior Jen Giebink added that universities are also becoming more selective in their accepted applicants.
Barrett seconded the notion, saying that students’ academic averages are likely to go up as UW continues to get more competitive.
