MADISON, Wis.—The Universities of Wisconsin today announced The Wisconsin Guarantee, which automatically admits the state’s top-performing students to the state’s 13 public universities in accordance with a new law.
Under The Wisconsin Guarantee, students who rank in the top 5 percent of their class at the end of 11th grade will be eligible for automatic admission to UW-Madison while students who rank in the top 10 percent of their class at the end of 11th grade will be eligible for automatic admission to the state’s other 12 public universities.
“The Wisconsin Guarantee will help us keep our best and brightest high school graduates in Wisconsin,” said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. “It’s another tool to help the state win the war for talent.”
Eligible students will still need to file an application to the university of their choice for The Wisconsin Guarantee to take effect.
The announcement today, including the launching of a new website, is designed to highlight The Wisconsin Guarantee and provide answers for prospective students and parents.
The Wisconsin Guarantee is one of three pathways for prospective students to gain admission to one of the 13 Universities of Wisconsin. In addition to The Wisconsin Guarantee:
- Students can file a traditional application and meet a specific university’s admission requirements.
- Direct Admit Wisconsin, another new initiative of the Universities of Wisconsin, offers early and proactive admission to students at participating Wisconsin high schools. Students will receive admission offer letters to all UW universities at which they satisfy direct admission requirements during the summer before their senior year without the need to submit an application.
Some students who will receive a Direct Admit Wisconsin admission offer letter may also qualify for The Wisconsin Guarantee. While distinct, Rothman noted that both initiatives are about ensuring that Wisconsinites know that there is a place for them at one of the Universities of Wisconsin.
For more information on The Wisconsin Guarantee, including how it differs from Direct Admit Wisconsin, visit The Wisconsin Guarantee website.
The Universities of Wisconsin serve more than 162,500 students. Awarding nearly 37,000 degrees annually, these 13 public universities are Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. Nearly 90 percent of in-state Universities of Wisconsin graduates stay in the state five years after earning a degree. The universities provide a 23:1 return on state investment. The Universities of Wisconsin also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy. Learn more at wisconsin.edu.