Thousands of high school graduates will start college in the coming weeks thanks to an innovative admissions strategy that accepts new students before ever receiving an application from them.
Direct admissions – a type of college enrollment strategy where pre-screened in-state students are offered admission to a college and, in some cases, scholarships – are changing the way that two- and four-year universities fill their freshman classrooms.
North Carolina’s Wingate University recently sent out letters to high school grads offering admission and $24,000 in scholarships to students who never applied to the college, Yahoo Finance reported Tuesday.
These programs started on a large scale in Idaho in 2015, according to education consultancy Education Strategy Group.
A state-sponsored program sent out 20,171 acceptance letters from either six or eight state public colleges, according to the Idaho State Board of Education.
open image in galleryThe state’s efforts led to a 4 to 8 percent increase in first-time undergraduate enrollment and in-state enrollments increased by 8 to 15 percent, according to an analysis by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.
“Direct admissions programs are a popular, effective, and low-cost tool for encouraging postsecondary enrollment,” the association found.
Since that pilot program, two direct admissions apps have launched: Niche and Common App. More than 370 colleges partner with the platforms and have sent 1.5 million direct admissions offers to prospective students, according to research by higher education news and analysis platform Inside Higher Ed.
At least 14 other states have launched their own direct admissions programs, Inside Higher Ed said, and saw similar boosts to Idaho. Full-time enrollment at Minnesota state schools rose 11.3 percent after launching direct admissions in 2016, the state’s education department noted.
Hannah Halverson, a 2025 high school graduate from Minneapolis, was one of those people. She was interested in attending Minnesota State University, Mankato, this fall.
A direct admissions letter from the school helped solidify her decision, she said in a November article by Yahoo News. “It really helped me affirm that I wanted to come here,” she said.
Halverson confirmed her decision in a March Instagram post. “I’m 100% committed to Mankato and plan on majoring in psychology on a pre-occupational therapy track,” she wrote.
In general, direct admissions programs set basic GPA and standardized testing requirements for the students they choose.
They can be a savior for students of color and low-income students, Education Strategy Group noted.
open image in gallery“These initiatives allow students the ability to bypass the traditional college application process, which can act as a significant barrier to students most at risk of not enrolling in postsecondary education or training,” the group wrote.
Overall, the strategy is booming. More than 400,000 students received direct admissions offers for the 2024/2025 school year, according to the nonprofit professional association National College Attainment Network.
States and admissions apps are learning how to integrate the approach into existing college admission strategies and, so far, it’s working, experts say.
“Direct admissions is reshaping the way students move from high school to higher education,” the network said in a December article. “When paired with clear communication, affordability information, and intentional outreach to students, direct admissions can meaningfully strengthen college-going pathways.”
However, the strategy has its drawbacks. A typical college admissions process takes a holistic view of the student, while direct admissions can reduce applicants to a set of numbers.
“This rigidity may not accommodate students who have faced challenges or obstacles that have impacted their academic performance but have demonstrated resilience and potential in other areas,” notes educational advisory services Bright Horizons.
In an attempt to open the door for more students, direct admissions could also draw more applicants than available spots at a school. If that scenario unfolds, applicants may face the same anxieties and stress they’d encounter during a traditional application process, Bright Horizons says.
And direct admissions doesn’t always solve college affordability issues, notes the National College Attainment Network.
The organization pointed to Idaho’s landmark program, now known as “Campus Choice,” as evidence – it had minimal impact on low-income applicants.
“These findings point to Campus Choice as a powerful tool for increasing overall enrollment, but one that must be paired with additional supports to help students overcome other barriers, such as affordability, to college enrollment,” the network says.