Response from Provost Paul M. DeLuca, Jr. on UW-Madison admissions practices

Provost Paul M. DeLuca, Jr. issued the following statement on Monday, April 7 in response to inquiries about UW–Madison’s approach to diversity and admissions from the Project on Fair Representation.

“We celebrate the benefits of a diverse student body at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. We believe the educational benefits provided by a multitude of viewpoints, backgrounds, talents, perspectives and experiences are essential components of higher education.

When making decisions involving admission to undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, UW–Madison considers academic credentials as the most important factor.

However, GPA, class rank, and test scores do not always predict classroom success. For this reason, the university performs a comprehensive review of an applicant’s entire record. This process, known in higher education as holistic admissions, takes a wide range of factors into account.

Every student offered a place at this university is judged to be capable of success. No student is accepted solely due to any non-academic factor.

We have reviewed our policies in the wake of the Fisher, Gratz and Grutter decisions and believe this approach is appropriate and consistent with the law.”