After pressure from numerous state legislatures to determine the legality of the updated UW System freshman admissions policy, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued an informal legal opinion July 26 that the policy does not violate the statutory prohibition against the use of tests based on race.""
The admissions policy, adopted by the UW Board of Regents in February, will be implemented at all UW System campuses beginning this semester.
According to a release, the updated policy combines several previous UW System admissions policies, with academic achievements still being the most important factor in admissions decisions.
Following academic achievements, the admissions process will include looking at a potential student's leadership and community service involvement, military veteran status, if he/she is a returning adult or nontraditional student, as well as socioeconomic background and status as a member of a historically underrepresented racial or ethnic group.
Van Hollen found the new policy legal, but cautioned the UW System that if race was to be used as an ""other consideration"" it must do so by ""evaluating each application against the stated admissions criteria in order to continue to comply with the constitutional requirement of equal protection.
