The traditional college application process can be a long and challenging road, but Direct Admissions presents a unique chance for institutions to make higher education more available for all qualified, talented students — especially those who might be hampered by pitfalls along the way. In this blog, we’ll discuss why Direct Admissions can be a worthwhile strategy for institutions with goals of further diversifying the makeup of their entering classes.
This is the third part of our blog series exploring the nuances of Direct Admissions. Make sure to check out part one and part two if you missed them. For this final edition, we sourced expert insights from three enrollment leaders with expertise in this barrier breaking strategy:
- Ken Woods, Vice President of Strategic Enrollment at Whittier College
- Michelle Kowalsky Goodfellow, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at Western New England University
- Reggie Hill, Vice President for Strategic Enrollment and Career Advancement at University of Missouri–St. Louis
From doubts about individual academic competitiveness and unfamiliarity with the process to long wait times and more, there are numerous obstacles that can prevent students from successfully making the transition to college. Direct Admissions addresses all those challenges while proving to be a popular option for low-income students and students of color.
Simplifying College Applications
Filling out a college application can prove to be a major ordeal for many students, especially those without a support system in place to assist them in the process. Woods described how his team went above and beyond to try to simplify the process.
“We had to pull out all the stops and get rid of the barriers for applying.”
– Ken Woods
Direct Admissions completely bypasses this issue, which makes it an appealing option for students with less financial access to application assistance resources. This sentiment is reflected in MARKETview’s Direct Admissions data from 2024 which shows that a higher proportion of students enrolling through this method come from less affluent households compared to students coming through traditional channels:
Building Student Confidence
For some students, having the confidence to apply in the first place is a huge barrier to a college education. Many believe they aren’t qualified and don’t bother applying despite having the appropriate scores and accolades to be admitted. Goodfellow describes how Direct Admissions helps ease those self-doubts.
“Students would tell us, ‘I have a 3.2 GPA, do you think I’m going to get in?’ Direct Admissions really takes that piece out because for so many students, they just don’t have that confidence in where they are. It really does help to give them a new confidence about why they’re good enough.”
– Michelle Kowalsky Goodfellow
Consolidating the Admissions Timeline
The typically drawn-out process of waiting for a decision can create anxiety for students and families. Hill points out how this issue is somewhat unique to higher ed.
“We can get approved for a house in minutes, a car application in minutes, a credit card application in minutes. But college admission seems to be the only thing that takes months for us to get a decision.”
– Reggie Hill
With Direct Admissions, applicants no longer have to put their college planning on hold while waiting to hear back from an institution. Goodfellow explained how speeding things up is a benefit to students.
“We all want immediate answers. And that’s what Direct Admissions is giving students, a quick immediate opportunity to move on to the next step.”
– Michelle Kowalsky Goodfellow
Staying Ahead of Shifting Demographics
Direct Admissions also gives enrollment teams another lever to pull when trying to stay ahead of the ever-changing student recruitment landscape. Hill, who is now in his third cycle utilizing Direct Admissions, shared his mindset on adopting new strategies to keep up with market shifts.
“Change is never easy in admissions and enrollment management and getting folks to creatively think about our problems — especially in the world of the enrollment cliff — was the right approach.”
– Reggie Hill
While Hill’s institution fully adopted Direct Admissions as a way to attract all types of students, MARKETview’s 2024 analysis of all partners using this strategy suggests it’s particularly successful in attracting students of color:
For a deeper dive into the 2024 MARKETview Direct Admissions data, you can access our eBook highlighting additional key insights we uncovered. If you want more expert perspectives from our Direct Admissions partners, you can download the recording of our panel discussion webinar. And make sure to check out part one and part two of this blog series if you missed them.
Rethinking Direct Admissions
See the latest findings based on MARKETview partner institutions that incorporated this barrier-breaking decision type in 2024.
Download the eBook
Find out how MARKETview can help optimize your Direct Admissions strategy and reach your enrollment and revenue goals by scheduling a live demo with our team.