Subject: L&S 2025-26 Graduate Admissions and Support Guarantee Exercise
From: "'Lynne Prost' via ls-dept-admins" <[email-masked]>
To: "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>, "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2024 14:58:16 +0000
List-Id: <ls-dept-admins.g-groups.wisc.edu>

TO: L&S Department Chairs, Directors, and Administrators
ACTIONS REQUESTED:

  *   Forward this email to colleagues in your department involved in graduate program admissions.
  *   Update your graduate support guarantee offer letters for the 2025-26 academic year.
  *   Fill out the online form<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesyiYvD-sQUpenwuoEC1SdrPdfaaTcV-3qEH77x9iFe3qxIg/viewform?usp=sf_link__;!!Mak6IKo!KS28SYLHcGxOpko41j-nXMFICLMylPOq0vmlINCxdQNaBfCE4lfPcF4gOR0OY47mMqi6wvRe9v4lMLW7_EliEy9DruXi2OuT3_ijyn4$ > before letters are sent to prospective students, or at the latest by Feb 24, 2025.

Dear Colleagues,

We are asking all graduate programs housed in L&S departments to submit information on their plans for graduate admissions and support guarantees for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year. Please fill out the online support guarantee exercise form<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesyiYvD-sQUpenwuoEC1SdrPdfaaTcV-3qEH77x9iFe3qxIg/viewform?usp=sf_link__;!!Mak6IKo!KS28SYLHcGxOpko41j-nXMFICLMylPOq0vmlINCxdQNaBfCE4lfPcF4gOR0OY47mMqi6wvRe9v4lMLW7_EliEy9DruXi2OuT3_ijyn4$ > by Feb 24, 2025.

Admissions Considerations
When considering how many support guarantees to offer in this cycle, please remember the recent message from the Graduate School indicating that GSSC funds are likely to stay the same or decrease, even as stipend rates increase (see attached).

I also want to amplify the Graduate School’s Holistic Admissions Toolkit<https://kb.wisc.edu/grad/page.php?id=131840>, which provides resources and best practices to ensure selection of a diverse cohort of exceptional students.

Support Guarantee Letters
Departments may either use a support guarantee offer letter that was approved previously, or the standard L&S template<https://kb.wisc.edu/ls/88885>, without submitting the letter for review. Minor edits, such as updating the stipend rates, are acceptable and expected. However, if you make significant modifications or write a new letter, it must be submitted via the online form<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesyiYvD-sQUpenwuoEC1SdrPdfaaTcV-3qEH77x9iFe3qxIg/viewform?usp=sf_link__;!!Mak6IKo!KS28SYLHcGxOpko41j-nXMFICLMylPOq0vmlINCxdQNaBfCE4lfPcF4gOR0OY47mMqi6wvRe9v4lMLW7_EliEy9DruXi2OuT3_ijyn4$ > for approval before being sent to prospective students.

I’ve attached the recent L&S memo regarding AY26 GA stipends, for your reference in preparing support guarantee letters.

More information, template letters, and a link to the online form may be found at this KB<https://kb.wisc.edu/ls/88885>.

Please contact me if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Lynne

Lynne Prost, PhD
she/her/hers
Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Academic Affairs
College of Letters & Science
University of Wisconsin – Madison
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
L&S TA Training & Support<https://teachlearn.ls.wisc.edu/tas/>
L&S Graduate Student Affairs<https://kb.wisc.edu/ls/121882>