The admissions department at UW-Madison has recently reported the total number of undergraduate applications for the fall 2008 semester is 24,747—approximately 500 applications higher than last year.
Admissions Director Robert Seltzer recently stated that the number of accepted students for the next academic year will be lowered to 12,000 students—2,000 less than the last period as well. This decrease is due to a number of things, primarily a university housing shortage.
In order to accommodate this application surge and the UW-Madison’s growing selectivity, the university needs to restructure current admissions policies to ensure the greatest quality of incoming students. The current “rolling admission” policy no longer ensures a proper filter in seeking out top quality students to continue UW-Madison’s growing tradition of excellence.
Of the total number of applicants, 60 percent of in-state students actually opt to attend school here, while only 25 percent of out-of state students do the same. These applicants simply view UW-Madison as a “safety school,” according to Seltzer.
The Committee on Undergraduate Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid met last month to discuss the possibly of switching from the current rolling deadline to a hard deadline. The rolling system responds to students within weeks of applying, and the hard deadline promises students responses if they meet the requested “cut-off” date.
Considering the growing number of applicants looking for a “safety school,” the rolling admission system is too flexible. Those who apply for a “safety school” frequently turn down UW-Madison acceptance letters when preferred schools come calling at a later date, robbing many qualified applicants turned down in favor of these students seeking a “safety.”
Included with the hard deadline should be an “early decision” date, in which students must apply months before the cut-off date to hear back in a more prompt fashion. The University of Michigan instituted a similar policy as a means of locking up the top, serious applicants who prioritized their university over other schools. As admissions numbers increase, UW-Madison needs to find a better way to filter incoming applicants.
The growing number of applicants speaks highly of UW-Madison’s growing status as one of the country’s top public universities. In order to guarantee fair play and a quality student body, a hard deadline is the best way to create competition between serious students and “safety school” applicants.
