Race-conscious admissions
On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court of the U.S. issued opinions in two cases involving Harvard University and the University of North Carolina that, together, examined whether and how institutions of higher education can use race as a factor in student admissions.
This page contains information about the decision and answers to frequently asked questions. The full implications of the Supreme Court decision may not be known for some time.
Statewide and National Response
General
Applications for admission to the university continue to use a holistic review of a variety of factors which no longer includes race/ethnicity. For undergraduate admissions, that review will continue to consider all parts of the application, including course and grade information, essays, letter(s) of recommendation, and additional application information that includes involvement and leadership. Holistic review remains a best practice and valuable method by which to select students who are poised to find success at our university and contribute to our vibrant community.
While our process and requirements will look different, as they always have, we will apply the same polices and guidance to these changes across undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools.
Race/ethnicity data regularly collected in the admissions application for administrative purposes, such as federal reporting, will not be included in the application materials that are provided to the application reviewers. This is true for undergraduate, graduate, and professional school admissions evaluation processes.
Access to student support services will largely remain the same. The August 2023 guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Education affirmed that student support services, including but not limited to cultural centers, campus resources, student organizations, focus groups, listening sessions, and equity and inclusion activities, may have race-related themes as long as they welcome all students. UW–Madison is taking steps to ensure that student support services meet the guidance.
Recognizing the important educational benefits of a diverse campus community, the university has been committed to diversity and increasing the number of students of color at UW–Madison. Race has been one of many factors used in our holistic admission process, wherein we review every aspect of a student’s application with academic rigor and performance being the most important.
>We will not know or be able to estimate the impacts will be on the number of BIPOC students who will apply, be admitted, and ultimately enroll at the university. At peer institutions where race was previously removed from the admission process, there were declines in the number of BIPOC students admitted and enrolled at their institutions. This remains a concern for us at UW–Madison.
The court’s ruling applies to every institution of higher education within the United States that is public or receives federal funding, including all schools within the UW System.
The Court’s decision does not apply retroactively. We have updated our admissions evaluation processes as well as other admissions policies for the current and future admissions cycles, consistent with the Court’s decision and the August 2023 guidance from the U.S. Department of Education.
The Court’s decision and the guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Education in August 2023 did not specifically address scholarships and financial aid. As additional guidance is provided by relevant authorities, including the U.S. Department of Education, we will update our understanding of the decisions’ impact on scholarship and/or financial aid eligibility.
The Supreme Court’s decisions do not impact hiring practices. UW–Madison’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Policy is in accordance with Executive Order 11246.
Prospective Students
In compliance with the Court’s decision and the guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education in August 2023, applications for admission to the university continue to use a holistic review of a variety of factors which no longer includes race/ethnicity. For undergraduate admissions, that review will continue to consider all parts of the application, including course and grade information, essays, letter (s) of recommendation, and additional application information that includes involvement and leadership. Holistic review remains a best practice and valuable method by which to select students who are poised to find success at our university and contribute to our vibrant community. As additional guidance is provided by relevant authorities, including the U.S. Department of Education, we will update our understanding of the decisions’ impact on scholarship and/or financial aid eligibility.
If an applicant discloses their race/ethnicity in an essay as part of their application materials, we will not consider the race/ethnicity of the individual in and of itself as part of the evaluation. Under the Court’s decision, we may take into consideration, in context of the question, what the individual has to say about their lived experience and how it may contribute to the University (resiliency, courage, leadership, determination, etc.).
Current Students
There is no impact on the admission status of currently enrolled students. The decision does impact, however, processes to transfer into other school/college programs that may take place later in a student’s career at UW–Madison (e.g. Wisconsin School of Business, College of Engineering). These processes will no longer use race/ethnicity as criteria. As additional guidance is provided by relevant authorities, including the U.S. Department of Education, we will share with current students if any other impacts are made on student support services and programming or scholarships/financial aid funding.
Access to student support programs will largely remain the same. The August 2023 guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Education affirmed that student support programs, including but not limited to cultural centers, campus resources, student organizations, focus groups, listening sessions, and equity and inclusion activities, may have race-related themes as long as they welcome all students. UW–Madison is taking appropriate steps to ensure that student support programming meets the guidance.
We will continue to abide by Wisconsin law which specifically authorizes the Graduate Research Scholar fellowships (also known as Advanced Opportunity Fellowships/AOF). As additional guidance is provided by relevant authorities, including the U.S. Department of Education, we will make updates to our understanding of the decisions’ impact on these types of funding opportunities.
UW–Madison remains committed to creating a diverse and welcoming campus for all. We will continue to provide resources and services for our BIPOC community, such as identity centers, affinity groups, activities, meetings, focus groups, listening sessions, etc. As affirmed by the August 2023 guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, these types of resources and services may have race-related themes, but will continue to welcome people from all backgrounds.
Commitment to diversity
Our commitment to the value of diversity within our community, including racial diversity, remains a bedrock value of UW–Madison. Where necessary, we will adapt our practices to comply with the Supreme Court’s decisions.
Race/ethnicity is considered protected, non-directory student information per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. As such, race/ethnicity is not releasable to the public and is only shared as needed for official university education and business purposes. We will continue to adhere to our current policies to determine when race/ethnicity may be shared for official university education and business purposes.