Not everyone has to go to college, but everyone should know if they could.
Across the country, thousands of students are finding out about their college options without having to apply. They’re already in, based on how they do in high school.
Direct admission programs are clearing the way to college, instead of hoping students will choose to apply and figure out the complicated process. It’s a no-brainer given that the economy is increasingly demanding more skilled workers, and bachelor’s degrees remain the strongest engine for helping people achieve good jobs and good lives.
So why not make good decisions easier? Save the tedious paperwork for the IRS, and leave the mysteries, suspense, and plot twists to Agatha Christie.
Direct admission is just one piece of the puzzle, and it reflects a larger shift toward designing higher education for students, rather than for institutions. Higher ed leaders are looking for more places to smooth the path—or find new ways that work better for students.
Could an approach like direct admission help the 43 million Americans with some college experience see a path for returning to finish their credentials? Could more seamless transitions exist for working adults who want to continue their education?
With today’s focus on value, American higher education is facing questions beyond who gets into college and whether they finish credentials. Access used to be mostly about opening doors to more people. Now the defining access challenge is about making higher education simpler to enter, easier to navigate, and more flexible to return to throughout life.
Simplifying college admissions
The college application process is notoriously complicated and opaque. As families carefully weigh the value of college, direct admission programs give them concrete options to consider. In an increasing number of states, this will include not just which colleges students could attend, but what financial aid will cover and what their cost will be.
Despite popular narratives, just a small number of colleges are so selective that they only admit a narrow fraction of their applicants. In fact, 84% of undergraduate students attend colleges that accept all or most applicants.
But many students don’t realize that. Most students have a clear vision of where they want their career to go, but half don’t know the best next step for their education, according to a 2023 survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
So let’s show them what’s possible. In San Bernardino, the local California State University campus’ direct admission website says: “You’ve Earned Your Spot.”
In high school, Milana Waggoner wasn’t sure she fit the college mold but was directly admitted to Cal State San Bernardino. She still wasn’t sure about going there but settled in on campus. “I was like OK, so, not everything’s against me. I’m going to be fine,” Waggoner said. “I am very grateful that people are believing in me, or the world believes in me, so it’s easier.”
Redesigning higher ed for students, not bureaucracy
Today’s students have enough to worry about. They don’t need the burden of having to navigate every step of an unwieldy system.
Think about it: A student might receive an acceptance letter from one office, financial aid information from another, register for classes through a third system, and seek academic advising from yet another office.
It might make sense to the college, but to a student, particularly one who might be first in their family to go to college, it often feels like being stuck in a maze.
Higher ed is shifting toward more integrated, simplified systems. If we can move to a system where students are automatically on a path to education after high school unless they opt out, it could go a lot further in making sure people have the skills they need to flourish.
That’s not to push a “college for all” agenda—currently a hot topic of debate—but college should work better for everyone who wants to go. The process should never be the barrier.
Banks pre-approve loans. Doctors send appointment reminders. Airlines tell you when it’s time to check in for a flight. So it’s not too far to suggest that higher education could be more a lot more consumer-minded, too.
People will likely make many educational decisions throughout their lives. They’ll change careers, earn new credentials, and adapt to new technologies. If every one of those transitions requires navigating a maze, upskilling will remain an aspiration instead of reality.
Direct admission is one solution among many for the challenges facing higher education. But it points toward an important philosophy: Design systems that help people succeed rather than testing how well they navigate bureaucracy. That’s one step in delivering the value people expect and deserve from higher education.