A new plan by the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents, aiming to smooth credit transfers for students, slashes the ethnic studies or diversity course requirement from general education requirements beginning in 2026.
The latest proposal from the governing body of the Universities of Wisconsin system seeks to address students’ difficulty in transferring course credits inside the 13 campus system. The proposal stems from provisions in the 2025-2027 state budget aimed at resolving inconsistencies that impede student success and timely graduation.
In a Sept. 24 statement, the board said the policies would make it easier for students to apply previously completed courses toward general education requirements, which exist outside their major and minor course load.
“While the credits associated with the core general education courses transfer between the UWs, the applicability of the courses has been uneven. The new policy is designed to ensure courses transfer and apply to new graduate requirements consistently.”
The proposed policy is open for public comment until its final submission on Dec. 31, 2025. The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) is urging students to voice their opinions to protect the ethnic studies requirement. In a recent Instagram post, the ASM Student Government described the course requirement as vital to a flourishing campus.
In an interview with UW-Madison student Olani Aboro, the sophomore shared their thoughts on the proposal.
“I believe with the political climate that we’re in and seeing the sunsetting of a lot of DEI programs and initiatives that help make education and other things on campus more accessible, ethnic studies is important as a core concept to be able navigate the world around you and interact with people who aren’t the same background as you,” Aboro said.
Aboro offered further comments indicating that without the requirement to take the ethnic studies course, fewer students will voluntarily take the classes apart from a university mandate. (RELATED: Wisconsin Professors Condemn Kirk Assassination, Demand Free Speech Protections)
This shift in UW’s DEI initiatives on campus follows another DEI-driven controversy for the UW system this year. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire was recently ordered to pay a $265k settlement to Rochelle Hoffman, after she was dismissed for being a White woman. The university’s actions triggered a response by Wisconsin State Sen. Chris Kapenga, who called it “outright bigotry.” Kapenga responded to the decision and the state of DEI, saying: “DEI isn’t dead yet, but I love to see it losing.”
According to a 2024 report by Speech First, 67% of colleges and universities across America that were included in the study, have DEI course requirements in order for students to graduate. The study looked at 248 colleges and universities in each state, including Washington, D.C., including both public and private institutions. The study preceded the Trump presidency and his executive order aimed at curtailing DEI on campuses.
The board is expected to review public feedback on the proposal before the final submission at the end of this year. The new policy would take effect on September 1, 2026. (RELATED: Democrats Target Wisconsin’s Steil and Van Orden in National Redistricting Wars)
