For the first time in five years, undergraduate applications for fall admission to UW-Madison are on the decline. The reason why is still unclear, officials said, but it could be related to the slumping economy and a smaller class of high school graduates. The total number of students who applied to UW-Madison dropped from a record high last year of 25,073 to 24,263 this year.
"That’s a pretty big decrease for us to see," said Joanne Berg, vice provost for enrollment management. "We don’t know why. We really don’t.... It could mean that parents are fearful they can’t afford to send their students to UW-Madison," Berg said.
