If your senior year of high school approaches, direct admissions can help you get into college. A growing number of states are offering this path to college, and companies like Common App and Niche also provide direct admissions to students regardless of where they live.
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This fall, high school seniors may find college acceptance letters in their mailboxes before they complete a single application. It’s not a scam — it’s a nascent college admissions program called “direct admissions,” offered by a growing number of states and third-party organizations.
Students eligible for direct admissions receive college acceptance letters before they apply, usually during the fall of their senior year of high school. Direct admissions decisions typically hinge on GPA only. Students may have to submit supplementary application materials to finalize and accept their offers, but the process doesn’t require application fees, teacher recommendations, standardized test scores or endless essays. It’s a streamlined route to college, which students can leverage in addition to (or instead of) the regular and early decision processes.
“The goal is really just to break down barriers for students, because students are worried. College is scary and foreign, and so the idea is to try and alleviate some of those anxieties and fears that students may have about, ‘am I going to be admitted to a school?’,” says Jessica Eby, Apply Idaho program manager at the Idaho State Board of Education.
Idaho became the first state to offer direct college admissions in 2015. Since then, a handful of states have rolled out their own programs, and experts say that number is poised to increase in coming years. Third-party providers Common App and Niche recently introduced their own direct admissions programs, opening the college pathway to students regardless of their geographical location.
“This is an incredibly low- to no-risk opportunity for [students], it will not cost them anything to participate, they can apply to the schools on their list with no application fee. It doesn't bind them to do anything, it doesn't limit them to doing anything,” says Wendy Robinson, the assistant commissioner for programs, policies and grants at the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.
For state-based direct admissions programs, your participating high school will generally send your GPA and information to colleges; for third-party programs, you'll need to set up a profile with your GPA and other basic information.
Direct admissions doesn’t automatically lead to more financial aid, but it can make it easier for students to apply to multiple schools, allowing families to compare colleges’ financial aid offers and make an informed decision about paying for college . (Make sure to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid ( FAFSA ) to qualify for a financial aid offer, including federal student loans, grants, work-study and scholarships.)
“Apply to a community college, apply to a public four-year school, apply to a private school, and see what your financial picture looks like at all three institutions, so that you can make the best choice for you and your family,” Robinson says.
Some states already offer direct admissions or plan to in the upcoming year. Those states include:
