University of Wisconsin’s out-of-state applicants might not have to worry anymore about not being accepted based on UW’s max on non-resident acceptance rates.
If the UW System Board of Regents passes a new resolution next week, UW will have no limit on the number of out-of-state students it can accept.
UW regents will discuss waiving the current 27.5 percent cap on out-of-state freshmen admitted to the university, according to the Education Committee’s agenda. The resolution only applies to UW-Madison out of all the schools in the UW System.
If accepted at the meeting next Thursday, the percentage cap will be waived effective between 2016-17 and 2019-20.
The resolution said UW must also enroll a minimum of 3,500 students from the state of Wisconsin. To put that in perspective, during 2009, which had the highest number of high school graduates, UW still only enrolled 3,452 Wisconsin students, according to the agenda.
Wisconsin, the agenda said, is facing a serious, long-term demographic problem. The committee said the resolution is necessary with Wisconsin’s decline in both working age citizens and high school graduates. The resolution aims to attract more young people to Wisconsin and its work force long-term.
The agenda compared ACT scores between freshmen Wisconsin residents and non-residents, showing in-state ACT scores have dropped since 2012, while out-of-state student scores rose.
UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank said she supports the resolution.
“With the change in the state’s demographics, we know that many businesses are challenged to find the workers they need,” Blank said in an email. “The changes being proposed will allow us to actively recruit top students from around Wisconsin and beyond so that those students are more likely to seek employment in our state when they graduate.”
The agenda said UW plans to create a stronger workforce for students by building stronger relationships between college juniors and seniors with Wisconsin businesses, encouraging students to stay in Wisconsin after graduation.
UW System President Ray Cross said in an email students admitted from out-of-state are already making Wisconsin a more competitive state.
“Many of the entrepreneurial students who come to Wisconsin’s universities are from places outside Wisconsin,” Cross said in an email. “We need to continue to create a fertile environment for them to stay and pursue their career path in the Badger State.”
The agenda insisted the changes to admission policy will not affect access for Wisconsin residents.
