Incoming freshman class: smarter, more diverse

When the University of Wisconsin–Madison first opened its doors, 17 young men walked through them to begin their instruction in higher education.

Over the past 150 years, more than 321,000 people have passed through those portals to study at UW–Madison, and today, nearly 5,600 new freshman enter the university as the campus prepares to celebrate its sesquicentennial. The 1998 freshman class appears to be the most talented ever at UW–Madison, and it includes an increase in the number of minority students, preliminary figures show.

“UW-Madison has a long and proud tradition of educating the best and brightest students that dates back to our beginning as a land-grant institution,” said Paul Barrows, associate vice chancellor for academic services and campus diversity. The university, created in 1848 by the fourth act of the Wisconsin Legislature, first held classes Feb. 5, 1849.

According to preliminary figures released by the Office of Admissions, this year’s freshman class is somewhat smaller than last year’s total of 5,880 new freshmen, which was a larger-than-normal incoming class, said Robert Seltzer, director of admissions.

“We are hitting right where we want to be in terms of new students,” Seltzer said. “We were a little high last year.”

Total enrollment this fall is estimated at about 40,000 students, nearly identical to last fall’s final enrollment of 40,196. Students can register during the first two weeks of classes, so final enrollment figures for fall 1998 won’t be calculated until the fourth week of the semester.

About 46 percent of new freshmen graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, compared to 43 percent last year. And about 22 percent of new students finished high school in the top 5 percent of their graduating classes, up from 20 percent last year.

On average, new UW–Madison freshmen graduated in the top 14 percent of their high school classes, compared to the top 15 percent last year. They scored in the top 10 percent nationally on their ACT and SAT examinations. The average freshman scored 27 on the ACT and a combined 1,230 for math and verbal on the SAT – the same as last year.

“This is the most academically powerful incoming class in the university’s 150-year history,” Seltzer said.

The number of new racial and ethnic minority students has increased to approximately 550 among the incoming class, compared to 524 last fall, about a 5 percent increase, according to preliminary numbers. Minority students make up slightly less than 10 percent of the entire freshman class, compared to 9 percent last year.

Cleveland James, associate director of admissions in charge of minority applicant services, says the increase in new minority students is among targeted ethnic groups – African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American and Southeast Asian. As a group, these students total around 345 this fall, preliminary figures show, compared to 298 last year, an increase of nearly 16 percent.

The most significant increases in first-year enrollment are among Native American students, up from 17 last year to approximately 38 this year, and Hispanic/Latino students, who increased from 128 last fall to about 153 this fall, according to the early enrollment numbers. Southeast Asian students increased from 34 to around 42, while the number of new African-American students is slightly down, from 119 last year to about 111 this year.

“We like what we see in the preliminary results for minority enrollment,” James said. “But we still have a ways to go in attracting those students of color who we think would benefit from attending this world-class institution. We want to continue to enhance our relationships with communities in Wisconsin with significant minority populations to attract their top students.”

The 1998 freshman class includes students from all 50 states, all U.S. commonwealths and territories and 20 countries. Like last year, more than three-quarters of the freshman class graduated from Wisconsin high schools or is part of the reciprocity agreement with Minnesota.

“As we begin to celebrate our sesquicentennial, it’s important to note that we are drawing and admitting students from virtually every county in Wisconsin,” Seltzer says. “Our mission to serve the entire state of Wisconsin is certainly being accomplished.”