Student and Family Information

• They will share information about academic programs, campus visits, scholarships and grants, housing information and more.

• Visit the website of the UW universities to which you have been admitted.
• Then, narrow down your list based on the ones that seem to most closely match your interests and needs.

This tells the UWs you are interested, and want to know more.

• Complete the form here!

• Completing the Direct Admit Form is not a commitment, but it does tell the UWs that you want to learn more and make a connection.

• The earlier you submit the form, the more time you have to get acquainted with UWs and take advantage of scholarship opportunities, housing assignments and the best possible course schedules.

• Although you have until May 1, 2026 to submit the Direct Admit Form, we recommend submitting it as early as possible, ideally by November.

• Watch for communications coming from UWs that you are considering regarding important steps like setting up an email, taking a campus tour, applying for scholarships and completing housing documentation. Make note of deadlines.
• Visit campus! There’s no better way to get a feel for a campus than visiting it.
• Connect with the individual UW Admissions Office to answer any questions.

The anticipated opening date for the FAFSA is October 1. And explore all financial aid options to help make a UW degree as affordable as possible.

• Completing the FAFSA is the best way for UWs to offer you the best financial aid package.
• Look for ‘Paying For College’ information on the websites of all the UWs that you are considering.
• Find out about scholarship information for each UW you are considering and explore outside scholarship opportunities as well.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help with the FAFSA and/or how to access as much financial aid as possible. Contact the Financial Aid Offices of the UWs you are considering to ask questions.

• Once you commit to a UW, keep a close eye on communications about next steps and deadlines

• Direct Admit offers are conditional, which means that you need to stay on track in order to keep the offer.
• Continue to succeed in your high school courses and progress toward graduation. Keep your GPA as strong as possible!

First, you must be enrolled in a participating school district and opt to participate in the program. Then, you must be on track to graduate and complete the credits required for admission – 4 units of English, 3 units of approved math, 3 units of social science, 3 units of natural science, and 4 units of electives. – If you meet those requirements, your unweighted cumulative GPA at the end of your junior year will be reviewed and will determine which UW universities will offer you admission through Direct Admit Wisconsin.

No, Direct Admit Wisconsin is not a mandatory program. Depending on the high school, the student will have the option to either opt in to the program or opt out of participation.

For this year, students need to be a member of the class of 2026 and agree to participate. Participation is facilitated by the high school. Students will need to meet the direct admission criteria to receive admission offers through Direct Admit Wisconsin.

NOTE: The deadline for the Class of 2026 to sign up to participate in Direct Admit Wisconsin is May 1, 2025.

No. There is no fee or cost to participate or submit the Direct Admit form for students.

Students in the Class of 2026 at participating high schools will agree to participate during the spring semester of their junior year. In the future, the choice to participate will become a part of the regular registration process for incoming junior students. Each high school will determine the best way to facilitate the participation process for their students.

The deadline for the class of 2025 to participate was June 2024. The class of 2026 deadline to participate is May 1, 2025. Please see your high school counselor for questions on how to participate.

They are agreeing to share information with the Universities of Wisconsin so that we can provide a streamlined admission acceptance process into participating UW universities. Participation also provides consent to receive communications about Direct Admit Wisconsin.

Student data are shared with staff in Universities of Wisconsin Administration by the district to facilitate Direct Admit Wisconsin. Student data are also shared with UW universities who have offered Direct Admission.

The high school will share the following student data with Universities of Wisconsin: High school and district information, student name, WISEid, high school student ID, graduation year, physical address, school email address, GPA, legal sex, and race/ethnicity. Federal guidelines require us to collect race/ethnicity information and will be used in aggregate for federal reporting. Demographic information is not a factor in the direct admission decision process.

Students will receive their Direct Admit offer of admission letter in a communication sent to them via email, hard copy letter and/or their high school student portal beginning in late July and running through early October. The letter is an official admission offer letter from the Universities of Wisconsin and will list the UW universities/campuses that the student is admitted to.

Students continue to have the option to complete the Universities of Wisconsin online application for universities that are not participating in Direct Admit Wisconsin. Some universities also accept the Common App. Students can wait to receive admission decisions from other schools before accepting a direct admit or traditional admission offer.

Students need to complete the Direct Admit form in the Universities of Wisconsin Admission Pathway Portal to claim their direct admission offers. The offer letter will link to the Direct Admit Form for students to provide more information and to indicate which UW universities/campuses they would like to attend, explore, or learn more about. There is no fee for accepting admission offers and no limit to the number of universities that students can connect with. Direct Admit students do not need to fill out the Universities of Wisconsin application or a common app.

Direct Admit students must complete the requirements for admission during the senior year and graduate from high school. If they do not, admission offers may be rescinded.

Go Wisconsin has robust resources and information to help students and families explore the Universities of Wisconsin and discover which campus is right for them. Students can reach out to the Go Wisconsin team at contact@go.wisconsin.edu, 800-442-6459, or visit the website to access a live chat.

For the Class of 2026, participating high schools will include direct admission participation and information release during the student’s junior year. This will streamline the process for students and families.

No, May 1 is the final deadline for students to opt in. After this date, no additional students can be added to the program.