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FACT BRIEF

Are only 2% of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Black?

By Tom Kertscher
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YES

In Fall 2022, the latest period reported by the University of Wisconsin System, 2.4% of students at UW-Madison were Black.

There were 1,214 Black students; total enrollment was 49,587. Another 4% identified with two or more races.

At UW-Milwaukee, 6.7% of the 22,866 students were Black.

The figures reported date back to 2007. The highest percentage of black students at UW-Madison was 2.9% in 2007.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said on June 13, 2023, he wants to cut $32 million from the UW System, which he said is equal to what the system spends on diversity officers.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said he wouldn't sign the budget if Republicans follow through on that plan.

Diversity offices are designed to help minorities navigate academia. Monica Smith took over as the UW System’s diversity officer June 12, earning $225,000 a year.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
University of Wisconsin System Total enrollments by race/ethnicity - UW Madison
University of Wisconsin System Total enrollments by race/ethnicity - UW Milwaukee
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel UW-Madison's Black student enrollment has never exceeded 3%. Why does the school make so little progress, decade after decade?
PBS Wisconsin Wisconsin governor vows to veto state budget if GOP cuts diversity dollars from university system
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel UW System hires new chief diversity officer despite Republican push to defund diversity offices
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.