Some students applying to University of Wisconsin System campuses have long wondered whether there’s a minimum GPA or test score they must meet to gain admission, despite UW admissions officers denying there is any hidden threshold, the Wisconsin State Journal reported recently.
A Republican-authored bill, co-sponsored by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester and Rep. Robert Wittke of Wind Point and approved by a Senate committee on Feb. 16, would remove the mystery behind undergraduate admissions decisions by requiring UW campuses to “use only objective admissions criteria” that would have to be published on their websites.
The bill, SB 925, has yet to be taken up by the full Senate.
System campuses currently use a “holistic” admissions process that considers a range of factors, such as a student’s grades, essays, GPA, rigor of course selection and extracurricular activities.
Lawmakers, in the initial letter seeking co-sponsors, argue that campuses could still use a holistic admissions process that weighs more data points than just grades and test scores but the criteria would now have to be publicly available and “grounded in measurable facts,” the State Journal reported.
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Test scores were among those considerations until the COVID-19 pandemic hit and many colleges, including the system, adopted test-optional policies in response to the limited testing site availability.
The system last year extended its policy allowing students to forego sending standardized test scores for through the 2024-25 school year. Test-optional advocates supported the move, saying the ACT and SAT are biased against students of color and those from low-income backgrounds. But the System’s decision drew criticism from several Republicans who are co-sponsoring the admissions bill, including Vos.
Lawmakers said the UW admissions process currently allows for individual judgment calls made without public oversight.
“The admissions process for our public universities should not be shrouded in secrecy,” the legislators’ memo said. “Decisions about who earns the privilege to attend a public university should be made in a fair and transparent manner.”
The System, in testimony outlining its opposition, warned that having objective admissions standards would lead to more students being denied admission, enrolling out-of-state and harming the state’s workforce needs. Officials noted that admission rates at 10 of its 13 campuses in this case were above 90% and ideological discrimination against applicants is already banned under state law.
We agree with the reasoning between the Republican bill. Objective is better than subjective when it comes to admission to public universities.
We believe there should be multiple objective measures. These could include a student’s grades in core subject areas and the progression of a student’s academic career. If there were to be a weighted formula, and perhaps it already exists, then that formula should be made public.
The UW System schools are for all the state’s students, and are funded by all of the state’s taxpayers, so multiple data points should be part of any such a law, enabling admissions officers to fairly compare students from different schools.
There should be multiple measuring sticks and standards. But those measuring sticks and standards should be public.
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