We cannot begin to review your application until all required materials are received. Review our application materials to ensure you submit a complete application.

We make one of three admission decisions upon first review:

• Admit: In an average year, approximately 50-55 percent of our freshman applicants are admitted.
• Deny: Students who are not competitive for admission or who fail to meet our application deadlines are denied admission.
• Postpone: Some applicants are neither admitted nor denied upon initial review. These students are postponed. Postponed applicants have strong qualifications and the potential for success at Wisconsin. However we do not know if we will have space for them in our freshman class, and/or we would like to review grades from the first semester of their senior year before making an admission decision. Admission decisions will be made on or by March 15 and students will be notified immediately thereafter. Review our Postponed Applicant Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 59K) for complete details.

Extended Waiting List

Students who are denied admission after being postponed are offered the option to add their name to our extended waiting list. The waiting list form is included at the bottom of the final decision letter. Please note the following details:

• Likelihood of Admission: We traditionally admit students from the extended waiting list rarely and in small numbers when we do. It is impossible to estimate the likelihood of the university admitting from the waiting list this year as it is contingent upon many factors.
• Unranked List: The waiting list is maintained in an unranked order. All students on the waiting list will be equally considered for admission in the event that space becomes available.
• Improving Chances: There is nothing a wait-listed student can do to improve his or her likelihood of admission. Only the application materials we have already received will be used in waiting-list actions. Additional essays, recommendations, interviews, etc., will not influence the decision.
• Notification: In the event that space becomes available after the May 1 enrollment deadline, we may offer admission to a few additional wait-listed students in late May or June. We will notify these students immediately. We will not notify students who are not admitted from the waiting list. If you are on the waiting list and do not receive further correspondence, that means we are unable to offer you admission.
• Alternative Plans: All students on the waiting list should accept admission to another institution as the likelihood of admission to UW–Madison is very small. If an enrollment deposit is required, you should submit the deposit. If you are admitted to UW–Madison from the waiting list and choose to attend, you may forfeit the deposit you made to the other institution. Please check with the other institution for the policy on refunds.

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Deferred Admission

Admitted domestic freshman students who wish to postpone enrollment until a future term can request a deferral. Deferrals may be granted for a variety of reasons, most commonly to allow a student to spend time overseas or perform community service. Strongly qualified students may request deferred admission by completing the Freshman Request for Deferral (PDF, 52K), following an offer of admission to the university.

Please note:

• Deferred admission will only be granted for one or two semesters to admitted students.
• Deferred students may not enroll at another college or university or in a program that grants college credit. A deferred student who does so will forfeit the deferred admission status.
• Deferred students will maintain admission to and enrollment in the College of Letters and Science Honors Program.
• Deferred students must reapply to UW–Madison for the desired term of admission.

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Appealing a Decision

Every denied application has gone through extensive reviews. Therefore, for an appeal to have merit, it must bring to light new compelling academic and/or personal information, as well as details pertaining to extenuating circumstances that were not addressed in the initial application. Essentially, the appeal must present information that clearly shows the student to be stronger than had been earlier evidenced.

Appeals must be written and submitted by the applicant. They should also be supported by appropriate documentation, as needed. The appeal letter must clearly outline the reasons for appealing and present new and compelling information. It should not simply repeat information that was presented at the time of application.

It is our usual practice to respond to appeals within six weeks of the date we receive them. While all appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the rate of a decision being reversed based on an appeal has historically been very low. Appeals should be sent directly to the Office of Admissions.

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