Wisconsin high school students ranked in top 5% of class guaranteed UW-Madison spot under new law
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If you're a Wisconsin high school student ranked in the top 5% of your class, you're now guaranteed a seat at the University of Wisconsin-Madison if you want it.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed the Republican-authored bill into law Tuesday. It was part of a broader deal the UW System struck with the GOP-controlled Legislature about diversity programming, pay raises and building projects.
"Our state faces immense workforce challenges, and bolstering our workforce to make sure it can meet the needs of the 21st Century means working to keep our state’s homegrown talent right here in Wisconsin," Evers said in a statement.
Promising seats to the state's top-ranking students provides more transparency to applicants in what can come across as a secretive and subjective process, Republicans have argued. Some have shared stories of constituents whose high-achieving children are rejected from the state flagship.
The new law will also require all other UW campuses to admit the top 10% of Wisconsin high school students, something most of those institutions already do.
Additionally, school boards, charter school operators, and governing bodies of private and tribal high schools must prepare a class ranking at the end of 11th grade if there are at least 15 students in the class.
"We want students from every county of this great state to know that if they’re at the top of their high school class, UW-Madison can be for them," Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a statement.
Less than half of freshman applicants admitted to UW-Madison
UW-Madison uses a holistic admissions process, taking into account a range of factors. The rigor of an applicant's high school record and GPA are ranked the most important.
The university admitted 43% of new freshman applicants last fall, including 61% of Wisconsin applicants, 40% of Minnesota applicants, 32% of international applicants and 43% of out-of-state applicants.
UW-Madison enrolled about 3,800 Wisconsin students in last fall's freshman class.
UW-Madison already admits overwhelming majority of Wisconsin students who rank in top 5%
The new law's effect on UW-Madison admissions may be minimal.
Mnookin told a faculty committee last summer that UW-Madison already admitted about 95% of the students who would be guaranteed admission through the top 5%.
But the policy may convince high-achieving students who assume UW-Madison is out of reach to give it some additional thought, UW System President Jay Rothman said last month.
"This is now going to give them the assurance that they can get in to Madison, and to the extent that helps us keep more people within the state, that's a good thing," he said.
Other states have guaranteed admission policies
Research from another state with a guaranteed admissions policy supports Rothman's thinking.
In California, the top 9% of state students are guaranteed a space at a University of California campus.
Zachary Bleemer, a Princeton University economist, found the policy benefited some of the state's most disadvantaged students. His research indicated the class-rank policy caused more than 10% of "barely-eligible" applicants to enroll at selective UC campuses instead of less selective schools.
These applicants fell below UC’s traditional admission standards, with lower test scores and family incomes than most of their UC peers. Despite their level of academic preparation, Bleemer's research found these students performed well on campus and earned higher annual wages than the average wage-rise of less selective institutions where they may have otherwise enrolled.
Wisconsin law provides workarounds for students without class rank
Also under the new law, Wisconsin students who are homeschooled or attend a virtual private school are guaranteed admission to UW-Madison if they score in top 2% nationally on the ACT exam.
Students who are designated as finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program are also promised a seat at any UW campus.
Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyMeyerhofer.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Top 5% of Wisconsin students guaranteed UW-Madison seat under new law
