What UW Doesn’t Tell Us About Diversity

Reprint from the Badger Herald, May 10, 2001Now that Wisconsin state legislators are joining others in asking for information on University admission practices, it is necessary to look at the plain facts of diversity admissions. The UW-Madison 2001-2002 undergraduate application brochure provides a framework for understanding how the admissions process work. This is the same brochure that had to be reprinted last fall after the doctored cover photo was discovered by The Daily Cardinal.

In its text, the brochure says , “We give particular consideration to applicants who have been out of school two or more years, veterans, persons with disabilities, and those disadvantaged as a result of substandard education, family income level, or ethnic background” (p. 5). It adds “…we also take into consideration personal characteristics that will contribute to the strength and diversity of the University community….” (p. 6) and that consideration is given to “…other factors that may help predict success as well as contribute to the strength and diversity of our University community” (p. 9). The photos in the brochure do advertise minority undergraduate participation. Yet, these three vague statements are as close as the text comes to revealing what the University’s racial admission practice actually is.

To guide potential applicants in thinking about their qualifications, the brochure includes a table of high school class rankings for year 2000 freshman applicants (p. 7). Applications, admits, and enrollment are sharply skewed toward high class rankings. Only 5% of the enrolled freshmen ranked below the top 30% of their high school class. Surprisingly, no similar information is given about minority freshman.

When the data are broken down by diversity characteristics, we see a quite different pattern: 34% of enrolled minority freshmen ranked below the top 30% of their high school class.

Why are so many minority freshmen enrolled at a disadvantage, thereby handicapping them from the start of their university careers by noncompetitive preparation? The answer lies in the University’s admission practices. Whereas only 14 percent of non-minority applicants below the top percent of their high school class were admitted, the figure for minority applicants was 54 percent. The disparity is even wider for applicants in the bottom half of their high school class; the admission rate for non-minority applicants was six percent as compared to 37 percent for minority applicants.

The reason for these wide differences is more favorable decisions to admit similarly ranked minority applicants.

With such large differences, is it any wonder that retention rates and graduation rates lag for minority students? The plain fact is this: UW-Madison is admitting and enrolling minority students who are not academically competitive. This practice is not fair to anyone-minorities who are admitted on their academic records, non-minority applicants who are denied admission, faculty, administrators, and most especially, the minority admits themselves who are under-qualified relative to non-minority admits.

Must diversity at UW-Madison continue to mean racial preference in admission and the resulting disproportionately low minority retention and graduation rates?

If UW-Madison is so proud of its diversity efforts and programs, why doesn’t it describe in the admissions brochure how its admission policy works for both minority and non-minority applicants? Why doesn’t it print by high school class rank the admission rates for both minority and non-minority applicants, as well the percentage distributions of enrolled minority and non-minority freshmen?

Why hide the truth-from applicants and their parents, as well as faculty, legislators, and the public-about the strength and effects of UW-Madison’s commitment to diversity?

— W. Lee Hansen
Professor Emeritus, Economics
University of Wisconsin-Madison

This article was also reprinted in the Badger Herald online edition, June 28, 2001, under the title “UW’s Top-Secret Admissions Process Revealed.”

Below is the current page 7 of the Admissions Brochure, devoid of extraneous material (a student photo and quote, as well as footnotes to the boxed information).

Admissions Decisions

We make admission decisions (admit, postpone, deny) on a rolling basis, usually within eight weeks from the time your application file is complete. If your file is complete by our February 1 priority deadline, we will give your application full and equal consideration.

Our process begins by establishing some broad guidelines which allow us to admit highly qualified students whom we are confident we will be able to accommodate while at the same time deny those applicants whose credentials indicate we will not be able to accommodate. In the middle is a group of applicants whose qualifications are strong and who we feel could be successful here. We do not know, however, whether we will have spaces for them, so we postpone a final decision on this group of applicants, making a final decision by March 15 (provided we received the application by our February 1 priority date).

Out-of-state applicants and Wisconsin/Minnesota Compact applicants are separate applicant pools and do not compete against each other in the decision process. Nonresident children of UW-Madison alumni will be considered within the UI/MN applicant pool.

Your application file must be complete and your residency (in-state or out-of-state) established before we can make an admission decision. See “Freshman Application Checklist” for a listing of the items you need to submit to complete your application. To ensure a timely review of your application, we suggest you submit all application items at one time.

Following is my substitute section for page 7 of the Admissions Brochure. Additions to the text are shown in bold; changes in the table are also shown in bold.

Admissions Decisions

We make admission decisions (admit, postpone, deny) on a rolling basis, usually within eight weeks from the time your application file is complete. If your file is complete by our February 1 priority deadline, we will give your application full and equal consideration.

Our process begins by establishing some broad guidelines which allow us to admit highly qualified students whom we are confident we will be able to accommodate while at the same time deny those applicants whose credentials indicate we will not be able to accommodate. In the middle is a group of applicants whose qualifications are strong and who we feel could be successful here. We do not know, however, whether we will have spaces for them, so we postpone a final decision on this group of applicants, making a final decision by March 15 (provided we received the application by our February 1 priority date).

For applicants not in the top 20% of their high school class, minority applicants are more likely to be admitted than non-minority applicants. This difference is the result of the UW-Madison’s diversity policy which gives preference to minority applicants. For this reason, the average level of academic preparation measured by high school class rank is lower for minority freshmen than for non-minority freshmen.

Out-of-state applicants and Wisconsin/Minnesota Compact applicants are separate applicant pools and do not compete against each other in the decision process. Nonresident children of UW-Madison alumni will be considered within the UI/MN applicant pool.

Your application file must be complete and your residency (in-state or out-of-state) established before we can make an admission decision. See “Freshman Application Checklist” for a listing of the items you need to submit to complete your application. To ensure a timely review of your application, we suggest you submit all application items at one time.