The University of Wisconsin Offices of Admissions and Visitor and Information Programs will be merging, effective Feb. 1, to enhance the efficiency and quality of customer service UW provides to prospective students.

The combined offices, which will announce its formal office title next year, will be a component of the Division of Enrollment Management.

Both offices already provide an intertwined set of services to students and their families. VIP is the “gateway to the university,” directing campus tours and, in general, being the first contact with prospective students.

The Admissions Office handles the admissions process, and VIP provides continued information for students’ families through services like the UW Parent Program. The merger will combine all of these services under one head.

“We already collaborated on various programs, and we thought that pooling our resources would be a better way to utilize our expertise,” said VIP Director Steve Amundson said, who is to take over as director of the combined offices.

Joanne Berg, vice provost for Enrollment Management, said the merger is focused on increasing efficiency in an economic climate where university budget concerns are high.

Berg also sees better service to students evolving from the combined offices.

“We want our students to discover who they are by coming to UW-Madison, and the way to do that is to track them through their years here to make sure they achieve that goal,” Berg said.

As part of the merger, current Admissions Director Robert Seltzer will take over leadership of the larger Division of Enrollment Management entity, which focuses on gathering and analyzing data to keep the university on track to meet its long-term enrollment goals.

The number of applications to UW has increased in the past few years, producing an academically stronger and more diverse student body, Berg said. More than 20 percent of last year’s nearly 6,000 incoming freshman class were first-generation college students.

The combined offices will have no job or service cuts associated with the merger, Berg said.