School of Business Gazette > August 1, 2003

Information on 2003 Undergraduate Admission

Undergraduates entering the School of Business this fall are the first student cohort admitted under the new no-guaranteed GPA policy. (Students who wished to be considered for fall 2003 admission to the School of Business applied in the beginning of the spring 2003 term.)

In 2001, School of Business faculty voted to end the former undergraduate admissions procedure, which guaranteed students admission if they met certain minimum GPA requirements. While the former policy was selective, the new policy is selective and competitive. The number of students admitted each semester is directly proportional to the number of students who graduate from the School of Business. Undergraduate business enrollment is maintained at 1,300 students. Students are selected based on a variety of factors, including the number of openings available. Student attributes that are considered are: UW-Madison GPA earned in certain courses (Pre-business www.bus.wisc.edu/undergrad/admissions/01-03/ and Business/Economic courses) and a written essay supplied by the student at the time of application. The new policy not only maintains undergraduate enrollment at about 1,300 students but also, is a more holistic admission process because factors that are considered go beyond GPA.

Most of the students who applied for fall 2003 admission consideration were students who fell under the no-guaranteed GPA policy (students who began college coursework in summer 2001 or after). Specifically, 540 students applied while 384 were admitted. For more information about the undergraduate School of Business admission process, please see the Admissions (www.bus.wisc.edu/undergrad/admissions/) webpages found on the Undergraduate Programs Office (www.bus.wisc.edu/undergrad) website.