Consider Automatic Admissions on Merit

Legislative Republicans have an idea that’s not half-bad.

A proposal is floating around the Wisconsin Legislature to require the UW to grant automatic admission to any Wisconsin student who graduates in the top 5% of their high school class. They might not intend it this way, but it looks like that could be a significant move toward diversity.

Here’s what center-left Wall Street Journal columnist William Galston wrote about a similar plan in Texas: “Since 2009, 75% of its (the flagship campus in Austin) admissions slots have been reserved for the highest-achieving students at each of the state’s high schools: rich and poor; rural, urban and suburban. This policy has produced a highly diverse student body—65% are nonwhite—nearly one quarter of whom are the first in their families to attend college. Over the past decade, the university has achieved dramatic increases in the share of students from low-income and minority backgrounds who remain in school and graduate on time.”

The Wisconsin proposal would need some tweaks. If all of the kids who graduated in the top 5% took their spots they’d fill the freshman class, leaving no room for anybody else. Of course, they won’t do that in practice. Students with that kind of academic record have lots of options, including more prestigious schools than the UW. And, in fact, it’s likely that high-achieving students get into the UW now if they want to. Still, a system like Texas’, where a large portion, but not all, of admissions are reserved for high-achieving kids could be a good thing.

There are a few things I really like about this idea.

First, it’s based on merit. Whatever else this proposal does, even if it never gets anywhere, underscoring the value of merit is important in a world where that entire concept has come under attack.

Second, it might keep more high-achieving kids in Wisconsin. We lose too many of our best students — and the success they would bring to the state as adults — to other places. As noted above, I wouldn’t expect a dramatic increase in retention given the options those students already have. But even a modest improvement would be a good thing.

Third, it seems like it promises to produce at least as much diversity as any affirmative action or DEI program would.

The truth is that ending race-based affirmative action might not have much impact on the UW system in any event. The major impact will apparently be on a relative handful of highly selective schools. But the SCOTUS ruling is sending welcome shock waves through campus admissions offices. They need to rethink their priorities.

Legislative Republicans are giving them good things to think about.

Have a nice weekend.