In recent years, scrutiny of selective college admissions in the United States has intensified, especially following several college scandals and an adverse Supreme Court ruling on race-conscious admissions. However, most American students do not attend highly selective institutions. In many cases, the more common admissions challenge lies in persuading students to consider pursuing higher education.

Some higher education experts point to direct admissions policies as a potential solution to this issue. This policy allows colleges to automatically admit students based on existing data such as their GPA, and it has been gradually gaining traction in recent years.

Supporters of the policy argue that direct admissions helps boost students' confidence and helps them recognize that they are capable of pursuing a college education. Based on existing results, the policy has generally had a positive effect, but specific outcomes vary depending on the policy design.

How Direct Admissions Works and Its Reach

Direct admissions programs typically come in several different forms. Most commonly, state or college officials notify eligible high school students that they have been automatically admitted to relevant institutions based on their existing academic records. Students can then indicate their intent to enroll or continue applying to other colleges.

Taylor Odle, a professor of education policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said, "We view direct admissions as a way to push more people toward college and increase the likelihood that they will interact with these institutions." Professor Odle has long studied direct admissions policies.

Which Regions Have Implemented Direct Admissions?

Idaho, Minnesota, and Hawaii have all established statewide direct admissions programs for their public institutions. Earlier this year, the State University of New York system also launched a similar program, notifying approximately 125,000 recent high school graduates that they had been admitted to local community colleges.

Sara Scudder, college and career access official at the Idaho State Board of Education office, said the goal of the state's direct admissions program, called "Next Steps Idaho," is to foster a culture of college-going.

Idaho was the first state to implement direct admissions statewide in 2015, with the program covering both two-year and four-year institutions. The model considers high school students' standardized test scores, GPA, and course credits, and routes students to participating state institutions, including Boise State University and the University of Idaho.

Scudder said, "Students feel a sense of relief. They know they've been admitted, and now they just have to think about 'which one do I want to go to.'" She said the program has successfully reversed the state's declining higher education enrollment rates and reduced the number of students leaving the state for college.

One analysis found that compared to the year before the policy launched, enrollment at the state's two-year and four-year institutions grew by 3.1% in 2016. Researchers also found that average undergraduate enrollment at the institutional level increased by about 11% after the policy was implemented.

A study co-authored by Odle compared Idaho's results with a group of similar institutions that did not implement direct admissions. Through this comparison, researchers found that first-time enrollment at participating Idaho institutions increased by 4% to 8%, and in-state student enrollment increased by 8% to 15%.

The growth in students was concentrated mainly in two-year institutions with open admissions. However, the study did not show that Idaho's direct admissions program increased enrollment rates for students receiving federal Pell Grants compared to the control group.

Idaho's program is relatively low-cost and easy to sustain, with an annual budget of about $30,000, mostly used for designing and mailing admission notification letters to students. Scudder said other tasks, such as communicating with institutions, are handled by existing staff.

The Idaho State Board of Education oversees the direct admissions program. Because the program can be adjusted without legislative action and the office already has jurisdiction over high school data, the program operates with flexibility. In other states, implementing similar programs may require memoranda between state agencies and additional funding.

Scudder said, "I probably talk to some institution or state government every week that wants to learn about our program. Every state that has rolled out a direct admissions program has adapted it to its own specific circumstances."

Common App's Exploration and Expansion

Common App is a nonprofit organization that allows students to apply to hundreds of institutions through a single platform. Since 2021, the organization has also begun experimenting with direct admissions, including partnerships with private institutions.

After several pilot programs, the organization announced a new initiative this month involving 70 public and private institutions. These institutions will set admissions parameters, including minimum GPA requirements for students in their state. At the same time, Common App will use data students fill out in their applications to identify eligible low-income, middle-income, and first-generation college students.

Eligible students can apply for free and are guaranteed admission.

J.T. Smith, admissions director at Regis University in Colorado, said he hopes the program will help increase the number of low-income students enrolling at the university. Regis University is a Jesuit Catholic institution that has seen enrollment decline over the past decade and currently has room to admit more first-year students.

According to federal data, between 2012 and 2022, the university's fall undergraduate enrollment fell by 57.8% to fewer than 2,400 students. Currently, the university has about 500 first-year students and about 1,800 full-time on-campus undergraduates. Last year, more than half of Regis University's incoming first-year students qualified for Pell Grants.

Smith said, "We want to reach as many students as possible and let them know that they are not only needed but also welcomed at Regis University."

The university plans to assign a dedicated admissions team member to each first-year student who applies through the program. Admitted students will receive a $30,000 annual merit scholarship. According to Regis University's website, the average financial aid amount for first-year students is slightly above $39,000.

How Effective Is Direct Admissions?

Common App began piloting its direct admissions program in 2021. An August working paper co-authored by Odle evaluated the program's second pilot round. The study found that about 3% of students who received admission offers through the program submitted applications, a rate roughly twice that of students who did not receive offers.

Students who received admission offers were also more likely to apply to any college. These effects were more pronounced among underrepresented student groups.

However, the pilot programs did not change students' overall likelihood of enrolling in college. Odel believes that part of the reason is that students who fill out the Common App are already more likely than their peers to attend college, making it harder to increase their enrollment rates.

Economic factors may also play a role. Students still need to fill out the federal financial aid application and pay for college costs. Odle noted that direct admissions works best when combined with other measures that promote equity, such as student support services. For example, bundling direct admissions offers with financial aid packages may increase students' willingness to enroll.

Overall, policy design should focus on simplifying processes and removing information barriers for students. Odle said that any approach that adds additional requirements, such as creating portfolios, could subject students to more complex procedures.

Odle said, "You can't expect that by adopting a very low-cost direct admissions policy, you'll see a huge increase in enrollment, because students still face other very real barriers in front of them."