Direct Admissions Minnesota opens pathways for first-generation students to higher education — but not to the UMN’s flagship campus
The university has yet to join the growing state program that offers admission to promising Minnesota high school students without an application.
Many high school students now receive direct admissions notifications but will not receive one from the University of Minnesota. (AccessU/Caleb Fravel)
By Caleb Fravel
Hudayfi Layli, a senior at Johnson Senior High School in St. Paul, was excited to learn that he was recently admitted to Century College through a process called direct admissions, which he said was “straightforward.”
Direct admissions programs inform students which colleges they are admitted to before they even apply.
But for Layli, 17, direct admissions will not be his pathway to becoming the first in his family to attend a big four-year university like the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities.
As Minnesota’s direct admissions program enters its third year of operation, 120 high schools are enrolled to connect their students with the 55 colleges participating in the program across the state. However, the Twin Cities campus is not among the participating institutions.
So Layli is still waiting for a final decision from the university after submitting what he said was a “very draining” application.
Direct admissions offers first-generation students an easy gateway to college and gives them more time to focus on other important aspects of the admissions process like financial aid, Layli said. For a first-generation student like himself, the standard application process can be difficult, but direct admissions can have fewer barriers for students.
Direct Admissions Minnesota, the state’s pilot direct admissions program, aims to promote equity in the college admissions process by providing admissions information to students and connecting students to colleges, according to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. The program proactively admits students to participating colleges based on their prior academic performance.
Colleges select from six tiers of academic achievement based on unweighted grade point averages across all classes and in certain subject areas, according to a 2024 report on the program.
Other states, including Georgia and Idaho, offer similar state-run direct admissions programs. Wisconsin and New York recently announced they would be joining those states in 2024.
UMN’s decision to not participate
Every other campus in the University of Minnesota system is enrolled in Direct Admissions Minnesota. The Twin Cities campus is the only public four-year university in Minnesota to not participate in the program this year.
The university’s Office of Undergraduate Education declined a request for an interview to discuss the university’s decision to not participate in the program, but it offered a brief statement to AccessU.
Keri Risic, the executive director of the Office of Admissions, said in the statement that the university remains committed to holistic review, “which carefully looks at everything a student brings to our campus community to support student success.”
“The Twin Cities campus will assess the pilot once more information is available,” she added in the statement.
Risic did not specify when it will reevaluate joining other universities in enrolling in Direct Admissions Minnesota. The University of Minnesota will consider the pilot implementation, success metrics and feedback from participating colleges, according to the Office of Undergraduate Education.
Direct admissions’ impact in high schools
High school counselors say Minnesota’s direct admissions program is beneficial for first-generation students.
Samina Ali, a counselor at Johnson Senior High School, said the program breaks barriers for her students and gives them confidence to consider their postsecondary options. She said she estimates a majority of the students at Johnson are first-generation students.
In Saint Paul Public Schools, where almost every high school is enrolled in the direct admissions program, students receive an email with a list of colleges that will accept them based on their academic performance.
Some students are well prepared, while others face barriers, Ali said. Many of those students still receive a list of schools that will accept them.
“What I love about direct admissions is that everyone is college-ready,” she said.
John Eschenbacher, the lead high school counselor in the district, said direct admissions can help open up student’s perceptions of what their options are.
Direct admissions can prevent students from limiting themselves, he added. Students who are only considering two-year schools may consider four-year schools when those options show up on their direct admissions list.
In an August 2023 study, researchers found that students who received direct admissions and an application fee waiver through the Common Application were 12% more likely to submit applications to a college. Impacts on application rates were higher for first-generation students, with a 12.8% increase in the number of students applying to college.
Students admitted through direct admissions in Minnesota are still required to complete an application but with the knowledge that they are already admitted, according to the Office of Higher Education. Participating colleges also waive application fees for direct admissions students.
The Office of Higher Education plans to scale the program to all 800 high schools in Minnesota over the next several years, according to its 2024 direct admissions report.
Eschenbacher said it would be great to see the university participate in direct admissions but understands that there are challenges in making that work.
“For our students who are academically ready and prepared, I think it would just break down some more barriers for them,” Ali said.