UW-Madison's Class of 2011

Class of 2011? God, that makes me feel ancient. Thought some of you UW alums out there might be interested in reading today's press release from University Communications regarding the current freshman class.

UW-Madison's Class of 2011 Brings Talent, Diversity

"MADISON - The Class of 2011 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is an exceptional group of talented and diverse students, says Admissions Director Rob Seltzer.

The university received 24,870 freshman applications, the most in university history. Of those, 13,977 were admitted, and 5,996 students decided to enroll.

"We continue to see extremely high demand for spots in our freshman class," Seltzer says.

"Some people think we're trying to become more elitist," he adds. "But that's not the case. Quite simply, more and more students are applying for a finite number of slots."

For fall 2007, the total number of undergraduates is expected to remain roughly even at a projected 28,999, compared to 28,462 last year. Total enrollment is projected at 42,041, compared to 41,466 last year.

Among the freshman statistics, there are several notable achievements, Seltzer says. There is record-high representation of students of color. UW-Madison received 15 percent more applications from students of color, who make up 14 percent of the new class. This year's freshman class has 836 students of color, up 4.2 percent from last year and up 30 percent from five years ago.

In addition, 1,230, or 20.5 percent, are first-generation college students.
Also, numbers of international freshmen are rebounding. This year's class has 292, up from 109 in 2002, the year after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Other key characteristics of the incoming freshman class include:
- Academically, 60 percent ranked in the top tenth of their high school classes.
- Women make up 53.5 percent of the class, down from 53.9 percent last year.
- The average ACT score is 28.0, compared to 22.3 for the state and 21.2 for the nation.
- Sixty-four percent intend to take honors courses, and 55 percent plan to study abroad.
- Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois are the top feeder states, followed by New York, California, New Jersey and Massachusetts. The top Wisconsin feeder counties are Dane, Waukesha, Milwaukee, Brown, Outagamie and Ozaukee.
- Students come from all states except Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Seltzer says that the university continues to be held in high esteem by students and parents across the country.

"When we go to a college night, no matter where in the country we go, there are people standing in line to talk with us and get our materials. That is truly gratifying," he says. "We're talking about humans and their hopes and dreams."

For more information on UW-Madison admissions, visit http://www.admissions.wisc.edu.