University of Wisconsin freshman applications for fall 2010 bounced back after a sharp decline last academic year, in contrast to some universities in the UW System that saw a decrease in applications.
With the exception of the 2008-09 school year, the number of applications steadily increased every year for the past decade at UW.
Interim Director of Admissions Tom Reason said UW’s reputation draws students from around the globe, reflected by the fact more than 25,298 students are applying to be Badgers in fall 2010, up from 24,855 in fall 2009.
With other four-year universities in the UW System experiencing a decline in freshmen applications, UW did not anticipate the increase, Undergraduate Admissions Advisor Karen Mittelstadt said.
In 2010, 90 more in-state residents applied, as well as an additional 556 non-residents for fall 2010.
The 556 students are almost all international, according to Mittelstadt. She said the disparity in in-state and out-of-state tuition may influence the number of out-of-state students applying.
Mittelstadt said the increase is in part due to a 25 percent increase in the amount of international students applying, most of whom Reason said are from China and other Asian countries.
Between 2006 and 2010 the number of applicants to UW increased by almost 2,500.
UW-Green Bay, as well as UW-Eau Claire, reported a decline in the number of applications this year when compared to recent years.
UW-Green Bay Director of Admissions Pam Harvey-Jacobs said UW-Green Bay could not give specific numbers on the decrease, but the drop was significant.
At UW-Eau Claire, the number of freshman applications for the 2010-11 academic year is down 4 percent from last year, UW-Eau Claire Director of Admissions Kris Anderson said.
Harvey-Jacobs suggested two reasons for the declining number: students’ decision to apply to fewer schools and the smaller number of seniors graduating from high school.
Harvey-Jacobs said many students are finding ways to save money by applying to fewer schools in order to save on application fees.
She said she noticed a change in demographics. Fewer high school graduates resulted in fewer potential college-students. This dip in numbers seems to be paralleling the decrease of graduating seniors.
Anderson suggested similar reasons for UW-Eau Claire’s decrease.
“[The economy] could be impacting the numbers of students going to a four-year campus,” Anderson said.
Despite this decrease, UW-Green Bay’s and UW-Eau Claire’s admittance numbers will remain roughly the same.
Harvey-Jacobs said she speculates the percentage of admitted students who actually enroll in the fall will increase.
Wisconsin two-year colleges are showing an increase of about 7.5 percent in applications for freshmen in the past three years, according to Gregg Nettesheim of UW Colleges.