More Than 33,000 Wisconsin High School Students Receive Offers to Attend UW Colleges Due to Direct Admission Program

Friday, August 8th, 2025 -- 8:01 AM

(Anna Marie Yanny, Wisconsin Public Radio) More than 33,500 high school students in Wisconsin recently received offers to attend Universities of Wisconsin colleges in the second year of the direct admission system, a nearly 40 percent jump over last year.

According to Anna Marie Yanny with the Wisconsin Public Radio, the Direct Admit Wisconsin program aims to boost UW enrollment by working with local school districts to automatically accept qualified Wisconsin students to 10 of the system’s universities without students submitting applications.

Eligible students, who are chosen based on grade point averages and coursework, were notified by their school emails in July. The program now admits students from 467 participating schools across the state, covering about 60 percent of Wisconsin’s high schools.

It’s a 155-school increase from last year, UW administrators said. When the program was first announced in 2023, UW system leaders said they hoped it would help reach first-generation college students and other potential students who might not have considered attending a four-year school.

The initiative came as enrollment was declining at state universities, with attendance falling by about 11 percent between 2012 and 2022. Enrollment on system campuses has increased slightly in each of the last two school years.

“We believe Direct Admit is simplifying access to college and helping lead to increased enrollment at our public universities,” said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman, speaking to reporters Wednesday. The program’s first cohort was offered admissions last summer. The students who accepted will start college this fall.

“We think we will have a robust freshman class, in no small part, due to Direct Admit Wisconsin,” Rothman said. “We’re seeing some really encouraging signs as we look at enrollment for freshmen this year.”

Participating school districts share students’ coursework and grades with UW system administrators after their junior year. If selected, the program offers these high schoolers admission to up to 10 participating UW campuses.

Only three UW campuses don’t participate in the program: UW-Madison, UW-Eau Claire, and UW-La Crosse.

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