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.
