The University of Wisconsin – Madison is a rising star in the elite college space. It’s a public land-grant research university that recently ranked #36 in the nation by US News & World Report. Along with this considerable prestige comes a moderate degree of selectivity: the overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 40.81%. Sure, this doesn’t exactly rival an Ivy League school, but relative to its reputation, Wisconsin is far less selective than it could probably get away with.

Did University of Wisconsin University defer your admission in the Early Action round to the Class of 2030? If so, though it’s not the outcome you had hoped for, all hope should not be lost. Although you now won’t hear back until on (or before) January 31st, rather than curling up in bed, defeated, there are still moves to be made! 

However, if you heard back instead that you were rejected from University of Wisconsin, you no longer have a shot at admissions there. But! That doesn’t mean your entire college admissions process is down the drain. Below, we’ll walk you through the next steps after getting that less-than-ideal news if you weren’t either accepted or deferred.  

Early Action at UWisconsin

Wisconsin offers a non-binding Early Action option for applicants who are sure the UW – Madison campus is where they are meant to spend the next four years. But these applicants need not sign themselves away to this fate, as the EA program is totally non-binding. But here’s the catch: the University of Wisconsin has not shared any acceptance rate data about its EA program publicly. Fortunately, we at Ivy Coach are prepared to make some pretty educated guesses about this missing data.

It’s highly likely that Early Action applicants to Wisconsin are admitted at a significantly higher rate than their Regular Decision counterparts. While we lack the data to confirm this, it wouldn’t be surprising if the EA acceptance rate last year was above 50%. The reason for this advantage? Early Action applicants have demonstrated their interest in the most compelling way possible. Demonstrated interest is indeed a crucial factor admissions officers weigh, whether they’ll acknowledge it or not. Who better to show their interest in Wisconsin than those who prioritize it over all other schools and apply there before anywhere else?

However, in the absence of reliable data about the Wisconsin Early Action acceptance rate, we’re limited in what we can say about EA applicants to the proud home of the Badgers. But there’s more to this story, which we’ll unpack below. 

A Look Back on the Wisconsin Early Action Class of 2029 and a Call for Acceptance Rate Transparency

For schools that maintain an Early Decision program (distinguished from Early Action in that these programs require students to enroll if admitted), the ED acceptance rate is typically available in the school’s Common Data Sets, which are federally-mandated publicly available documents that are the public’s #1 source for admissions data. Alas, for Early Action, no such data is reported to the CDS by Wisconsin. Wisconsin has also neglected to publish any press releases about the Early Action acceptance rate for any recent admission cycles.

What we do know about Wisconsin’s student body (not just its Early admits) is that the Class of 2029 yield rate was 28.16%. In other words, 28.16% of those students admitted last year actually enrolled and wound up on campus this year. Hence, this is another reason why EA applicants are given an advantage: they increase the yield rate because they are likely to enroll if admitted. While we at Ivy Coach don’t have the data to support this claim, we predict that EA applicants make up a significant proportion of the student body at Wisconsin because of their eagerness to enroll.

5 Steps to Take After a Wisconsin Deferral

So, you were deferred. Let us tell you the most productive way to handle that kind of news. 

1. Do something relaxing! You deserve to let out your emotions and reset your nervous system. The college admissions process can be harrowing, but if you have a concrete game plan to help you dismantle the mysteries of the process, you’ll feel a lot better. 
2. Hop on a complimentary consultation with Ivy Coach to learn about our services for deferred students. Keep in mind, at most highly selective universities, about 10% of deferred students get in. Historically, that rate quadruples at highly selective schools for deferred students who work with us. 
3. Complete Ivy Coach’s PostMortem application review. We need to go through every section of your Common Application because you’ll be submitting that same Common App. to all of your Regular Decision schools in about two weeks. Don’t you want to figure out what you did wrong so you don’t do the same thing at other schools? While you can’t change your University of Wisconsin application, you can change your not-yet-submitted applications. 
4. Prepare and submit a Letter of Continued Interest with Ivy Coach’s assistance. The letter should be submitted within just a few days of your deferral. While most deferred students understand that twiddling their thumbs is an unlikely strategy to earn Regular Decision admission, most deferred students also erroneously think that they should update University of Wisconsin on all they’ve achieved in the six or so weeks since they applied. But the secret is this: braggy letters like that actually do them quite the disservice. The Letters of Continued Interest that Ivy Coach’s students submit feature no brags and no updates. Instead, they contain [REDACTED].
5. In the New Year, bring your Letter of Continued Interest to your school counselor and ask if they’d be willing to make an advocacy call on your behalf to University of Wisconsin. Some school counselors will make such calls, while others won’t. The good ones will. And by delivering your school counselor your letter, they’ll be able to talk you up precisely how you presented yourself post-deferral.

What to Do After Being Rejected by Wisconsin

Did you receive a rejection from UW — Madison? Then it’s time to put that thinking cap on. Appealing the decision is not an option. Moreover, University of Wisconsin doesn’t publish any statistics on the specific proportion of deferred versus rejected students, which doesn’t clarify things any further. But students who give up easily rarely face success in the admissions process!

By shifting your focus to your remaining applications, you’re positioning yourself for success. You might even secure an acceptance from a college that’s an even better fit for you during the Regular Decision round with our help. How? We’ll work with you to create a singular hook that impresses admissions officers and outlines your plan for making the most of your future campus. This strategy, tailored to your strengths and interests, has led to success for numerous students who have turned to us after being rejected. And if you act quickly after a rejection, you could be next to secure an elite college acceptance.

PostMortem Application Review

After receiving word of a rejection from UW — Madison, it’s smart to contact Ivy Coach for a PostMortem application review as soon as possible. Yes, you can take a pause for a few minutes during this overwhelming time and process your rejection. Be sure to remind yourself that countless others have been in the exact same spot as you. But time is of the essence now, so it’s crucial to spring into action once you’re feeling ready to do so. 

During Ivy Coach’s PostMortem, we:

• Reevaluate your current applications. We’ll go through each and every section of the application, including both the essays and non-essay portions, in order to readjust which schools you’re prioritizing now that you’ve been rejected from UW — Madison. Oh, and if you think that these applications are close to done, we’ve got a reality check for you. There’s no point doubling down on those same mistakes! This is your only opportunity to turn the car around so you don’t drive yourself over the cliff of college admissions. 
• Work together to portray you as a uniquely talented individual rather than as a well-rounded one. That’s the opposite of what we want in the admissions process! So, we’ll fix this on your application by buckling down and pivoting to a strategy that actually works, otherwise known as Ivy Coach’s singular hook.
• Correct little-known missteps and mistakes that stand out to an admissions officer. Rejection can come down to something as plain and simple as a thought or idea that was miscommunicated and made it seem like the student wouldn’t mesh with that college’s culture. For instance, students who brag make themselves unlikable to admissions officers (and, yes, writing about how you fundraised $15,000 for a charity or were chosen out of a pool of thousands for a seemingly prestigious but actually totally blasé summer enrichment program at a highly selective university is definitely bragging!).
• Take stock of your realistic admissions prospects. You should consider taking advantage of the Early Decision II round for a school that we determine hits the sweet spot between prestige and admissions feasibility. Of course, not all students are right for ED II, and not all schools provide an ED II round. It’s time to buckle down and figure out the admissions pathway that works for you.

Application Assistance

Following your PostMortem, a crucial first step for us to understand what went wrong and to reposition your application narrative, we:

• Rework your applications with Ivy Coach’s assistance. Now that you understand the college admissions landscape a bit better, it’s time to put everything you’ve learned from your PostMortem into practice. We can’t fix every mistake you’ve made throughout high school, that’s true, but there’s still a whole lot we can still correct at this late date in terms of how you present your narrative and get admissions officers to root for you.

What Not to Do After Being Rejected by Wisconsin

Below are five pretty easy ways to flush your Regular Decision admissions chances down the toilet after receiving a rejection from UW — Madison:

1. Do not submit your remaining applications as is to other schools. Instead, look this gift horse right in the mouth and say “Thank you!” Clearly, something isn’t right about your application, and it ultimately resulted in initial rejection. Don’t ignore that! 
2. Do not reach out to the University of Wisconsin admissions office with useless questions about why you were rejected. It’s a waste of everyone’s time, because they won’t give you whatever answer you’re looking for. 
3. Do not be picky with your choice of Regular Decision schools and/or leave off safety schools from your Regular Decision list. Unsure what counts as a safety school? That’s where our team of former elite college admissions officers comes in to help. Keep in mind, we cannot tolerate pickiness at this time of year from rejected applicants. It won’t serve you as an applicant.
4. Do not blame your school counselor for an admissions decision that is ultimately your responsibility. They are still your #1 ally right now in the fight for your college future. So don’t even think about alienating them!

University of Wisconsin University Deferral and Rejection FAQ

Should I submit lots of extra material to UW — Madison? How about a letter once a week, or once a month?

No, you should submit a single letter. Your goal should not be to pepper the University of Wisconsin with letters every week or every month. Such a tactic will only annoy the admissions committee and inspire them to root against you, not for you. Besides, it will drown out the power of your Letter of Continued Interest. You have to let that letter speak for itself!

Why should I spend more time on University of Wisconsin if I’ve been deferred? Shouldn’t I move on?

While you should, of course, be simultaneously focused on your other Regular Decision schools, you should not throw in the towel on your case for admission to University of Wisconsin after a deferral. As a deferred candidate, you’ve still got a genuine shot, and University of Wisconsin is the school to which you earmarked your Early Decision card. Don’t waste that !

Do I still have options after receiving a University of Wisconsin rejection? 

Yes, of course! Just like with deferrals, there is still hope on the college horizon for you. It’s just not at University of Wisconsin; it will be somewhere new that you may not even know about yet! During Ivy Coach’s PostMortem, we’ll rework your Regular Decision school list and present you with new options you may be even more excited about.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance Post-UWisconsin Deferral or Rejection

If you’re a student who applied in the Early Action round to Wisconsin and were deferred or rejected, there’s still plenty you can do to make some lemonade out of these lemons you’ve been dealt.

Contact Ivy Coach to schedule a complimentary consultation and explore the next steps. For deferred candidates, we offer a PostMortem application review and assistance in crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest. For rejected candidates, we provide a PostMortem application review. And while we indeed offer assistance with Regular Decision applications, we can’t pivot to Regular Decision until both we and you understand the mistakes you made during the Early Action round. We’ll review your application for these mistakes, then our team of former elite college admissions officers will look forward to your remaining schools, equipping you with a new competitive strategy that incorporates a singular hook!