UW-Madison sees ‘disappointing’ enrollment drop for students of color

Two years ago, the University of Wisconsin-Madison celebrated its most racially diverse incoming class of students. Enrollment numbers this fall spurred a different reaction, though.

University leaders and higher education researchers speculated for months whether a financial aid form fiasco would lead to lower enrollment. UW-Madison administrators also expected a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against race-conscious admissions would affect the diversity of new students.

While the latest enrollment numbers provide a first glimpse into those predictions, Dominique Baker, an associate professor of education and public policy at the University of Delaware, cautioned against drawing “big, broad, sweeping conclusions.”