Admission Pathways for Wisconsin High School Students
Wisconsin High School students have three pathways to first-year student admission at a UW university.
Learn About Pathways to Admission For Wisconsin Students
The Universities of Wisconsin offer three paths to first-year student/freshman undergraduate admission:
- The Wisconsin Guarantee
- Direct Admit Wisconsin
- Traditional Admission
All three paths to admission require students to meet the minimum admission criteria above. Direct Admit Wisconsin and The Wisconsin Guarantee provide admission to University of Wisconsin universities; they do not provide guaranteed admission into a specific major, program, school, or college.
The Wisconsin Guarantee
If you’re in the top 10% of your class at the end of junior year—or a Wisconsin homeschooler with a top ACT score or National Merit finalist—you qualify for guaranteed admission to all UW universities except UW-Madison. In the top 5%? Your will be admitted to UW-Madison. Students must still complete an application to access The Wisconsin Guarantee.
Direct Admit Wisconsin
If you are a high school junior at a participating Wisconsin school, you may be admitted automatically to certain UW universities based on your GPA and coursework. No traditional application required—just a review of your academic record at the end of 11th grade. Available at 10 of the 13 Universities of Wisconsin.
Traditional Admission
You can also apply the traditional way––starting August 1 using the Universities of Wisconsin Admission Application (or the Common App, for some universities). Applications are reviewed holistically, so we look at more than just grades.