Direct Admissions: What’s all the buzz about?

Let’s be direct: Applying to college can be stressful and complicated, and the waiting game that goes with it can feel excruciating.  

One solution that seems to be gaining in popularity is direct admissions. But what is it, how does it work, and is it right for you? We’ve got answers from Kim DeRego, Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at the University of New Hampshire, which has recently embraced direct admissions.  

UNH has joined a growing number of colleges around the country that are now offering direct admissions. Why?  

This is our second year of having direct admissions be available to all students. We were hearing from families about the ever-increasing stress and anxiety around the college application process. Really, it’s an effort to help … make it a smoother and simpler process for them. 

How does direct admissions work?  

Students are able to create a profile on Niche.com [the platform UNH uses] and they … enter the types of courses they’ve taken, their GPA, their SAT scores, things like that. And then we tell the platform, “A student who looks like this would be directly admissable to UNH.” So then what they will do is within the platform show the student the direct admit offer, which typically does involve, “You would be admittable to UNH, and you would get a minimum of merit scholarship of this much.”  

[Other schools use the Common App or other platforms for direct admission offers. Students who apply to college using the Common App will automatically receive direct admission offers from schools based on eligibility criteria (regardless of whether they applied to those schools). All direct admission offers are non-binding, meaning you can accept the offer and decide later if you actually want to enroll.] 

Is this a popular option for students?  

It’s actually a pretty small pool that goes through direct admit. It is a path, but it’s certainly not the only path or even a main path. There are people in the college admissions world who are convinced this is the future. The jury’s still out for me.  

Who might want to consider direct admissions?  

If they’re feeling a lot of stress and anxiety and really need some encouragement . …It will show students 10 or 15 different colleges that they could be admitted to, so it can really help a student who’s nervous or struggling or doesn’t know who to put on their college list. It can be a real boost to families who are not sure.  

However, if a student doesn’t see a direct admission offer from UNH [or another school they’re interested in] that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t apply. It just means whatever the algorithm is looking for didn’t quite see it. 

What criteria does UNH use for extending a direct admissions offer?  

It’s very similar to what’s on our admissions website. There are classes that the students have to take. We don’t have a specific GPA or SAT score. We basically say we want students who have taken these courses and who we think will be successful, so it analyzes the transcript and gives us that information. 

What do NH students and families need to understand about direct admissions?  

There are a lot of platforms that are starting to do this. Families will definitely see these offers if they’re in the Common App, [but not all schools use the Common App for direct admissions.] Niche.com is a separate website.  

If a student receives a direct admission offer from your school and chooses to accept it, do they need to take any additional steps?  

They will need to submit a final transcript before they enroll. And the financial aid process is the same [as with regular admission]. They will need to file the FAFSA. They should still come to Admitted Students Day. Connecting with current students and faculty is a great way to see if UNH is really where you want to go.  

Something else that’s interesting: Some students worked really hard on their essay.  

Students [who receive direct admission offers] who want us to see their essay can absolutely still apply through the traditional route. 

Anything else you want to share about direct admissions?  

People who are curious should go ahead and create a Niche profile and play around.