Is Direct Admission A Good Idea?
One of the more recent changes in college admissions is direct admissions programs. To me direct admissions are much like the targeted admissions mailings. The major difference is that prospective students who are likely to be admitted are invited to apply, usually for no charge.
Approximately 300 schools use direct admissions through either the Common App or Niche.
The Common App makes a little more sense to me since it’s also the place where students apply to colleges that do and do not use direct admission. However, Niche has useful student review information for many schools that the Common App does not.
Direct admission is also used by state governments to attract students to public colleges and universities
These states include Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, among others. The California State University system will launch its own program on 18 targeted campuses this fall.
There are some interesting schools that offer direct admissions that have appeared among The Colleges That Change Lives and Jeff Selingo’s 75 Dream Schools.
These schools include:
- Allegheny College (PA)
- Austin College (TX)
- Beloit College (WI)
- Cornell College (IA)
- Eckerd College (FL)
- Emory & Henry University (VA)
- Evergreen State College (WA)
- Goucher College (MD)
- Hampshire College (MA)
- Hendrix College (AK)
- Hiram College (OH)
- Montclair State University (BJ)
- Ohio Wesleyan University
- Saint Mary’s College of California
- The College of Wooster (OH)
- University of Lynchburg (VA)
- University of North Carolina-Asheville
- University of the Pacific (CA)
- University of Puget Sound (WA)
- Wabash College (IN)
There are also flagship state universities that use direct admission as well as George Washington University, a relatively selective university in the nation’s capital.
These include
- North Dakota State University
- University of Nevada-Reno
- University of New Hampshire
- University of Wyoming
These schools participate with Niche or the Common App. The University of Idaho, as another example, runs the direct admission program through a state sponsored program called Idaho Campus Choice.
When is direct admission a good idea for the school?
Direct admission makes sense when schools can reach out to target markets where they have traditionally attracted new students. For example, within New Jersey, a school such as Montclair State can use it to target high school seniors who attend schools in neighboring New Jersey counties.
The admissions office can set targets using student data from the Common App to match emails and mailings to students who have the requisite grades as well as interest in one of their signature programs.
Direct admission is a marketing program when it reaches out to prospective students. It becomes an admissions program after the admissions office has received and fully reviewed a completed application package.
For private colleges direct admission might increase brand awareness within a target market. However, prospective college students and their families are increasingly cost sensitive. A private college needs to address affordability as much as the academic model and programs to market successfully. Affordability might come along the lines of scholarships or rest tuition and fees, or “here’s the extra benefits you might receive if you can pay a little more.”
For either public or private schools, direct admission might be an effective tool to reach out to non-traditional students. They might be adults applying to college after being out of school for several years or have served in the military who need to know about programs that will help their transition to college. They might also be students who have special needs that will enable them to have a better college experience. The key is that the marketing be micro-targeted to address the needs of a target population
When is direct admission a good idea for students?
College admissions can be a long and stressful process for high school students and their parents. This is especially true when going through the process for the first time. It can be quite comforting to know that some colleges will offer admission.
However, a potential offer of admission that does not come with assurances about:
Admission to a first-choice academic program
Some schools may ask for more information such as supplemental essays for students who are interested in a high-demand major such as business, engineering or nursing. The school might also request an audition or portfolio when there is serious interest in the arts. A college might offer admission to a second-choice major or a preparatory program to enter a major later in their education—but not direct entry into the major itself.
Financial aid
A college will still ask prospective students to complete the Federal Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA) and possibly the CSS Profile. Colleges that use both often have their own methods for estimating financial need. While a college might admit students regardless of financial need it might not step forward to offer sufficient merit or need-based aid.
A direct admission school can, however, serve as a guide for researching and choosing the school that a student actually wants.
Suppose a student is considering a set of schools that offer the same major and are within their idea of an acceptable distance from home. They can use the direct admission offer to compare the academic programs and costs for each school.
When comparing such offers, it’s a good idea to ask the following about the academic program:
- Will I be admitted to the program in my first year?
- How large are the introductory classes and the advanced classes in the program?
- If the program is career related, how will the school help me find an internship or part-time work and how will they help me find a full-time job or prepare for further education?
A prospective student and their family must still find out if they will feel comfortable on and around campus and that they believe that they will make friends. The three most important benefits of any college education at any school are the degree, the career direction gained from your education and the friends that you make along the way. Any student who believes that they won’t get all three from a particular school should pass on that school.
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