WILL Challenges Another Unconstitutional Race-based Admissions Quota
The News: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) called on the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Governor Tony Evers, and the Wisconsin Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) to immediately suspend a state-mandated race-based admissions quota. We warn the governor that the quota is unconstitutional and is nearly identical to a race-based state program the Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously struck down earlier this year following a WILL lawsuit.
The Quote: WILL Deputy Counsel Rebecca Furdek stated, “Health care costs are rising, a skills gap in the medical field is on the horizon, and Wisconsin will soon see a shortfall of medical doctors. Yet Wisconsin’s own government imposes barriers on young people entering this crucial field, requiring MCW to enforce a race-based admissions quota in order to receive state funding This quota isn’t just unconstitutional; it’s an abuse of our tax dollars and worsens a looming workforce crisis that will impact us all. We should restore merit and equal treatment to the important field of medicine.”
Background: Wis. Stat. § 39.15(1)(c) requires MCW to “make every effort to ensure that at least 5 percent of the total enrollment” consists of “minority” students as a condition of receiving state funding. MCW also received over $428 million in federal funding in fiscal year 2025, meaning the admissions quota also may implicate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. WILL has filed a number of these complaints over the years, previously securing investigations from the Trump Administration.
