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.  

Taken together, Wisconsin taxpayer funds are used towards research and training at MCW—but only if MCW agrees to engage in a race-based admissions quota, enforced by the State of Wisconsin, to ensure that enrollment consists of a certain number of “minority students.” 

WILL’s victory in Rabiebna v. Higher Educational Aids Board has also opened the door to new legal challenges such as the one we are highlighting today.  

What Next: If no action is taken by September 30, 2026, WILL says Wisconsin taxpayers will be forced to pursue litigation to end the practice.  

Other Challenges: This letter follows on the heels of a demand by WILL to suspend the “Minority Teacher Loan Program,” and lawsuits to end the “Supplier Diversity Program” and UW-Madison’s race-based scholarships.

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