A School of Education faculty member recently lent his expertise on direct admissions — a practice that allows high school graduates automatic admission to colleges and universities — to Milwaukee’s CBS58.
Taylor Odle is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies.
The story focused on the Universities of Wisconsin’s plans to launch a direct admissions program next year. Ten of UW’s 13 campuses are participating in the program. UW–Madison, UW–Eau Claire, and UW–La Crosse are not.
In the story, Odle said direct admissions can remove some barriers students face when applying for college.
“Streamline the process for them to ultimately enroll so the hurdles are not as large for them, the asks are not as big,” Odle said. “Then they can focus more on should I enroll in college and where should I enroll.”
Odle presented his research on direct admissions to an August meeting of the Board of Regents. That same month, Odle co-authored a study that found direct admission policies increase college applications, particularly for minority and low-income students, but those applications don’t always lead to enrollments. The study received media coverage from a number of national outlets, including Inside Higher Ed, The Chronicle, Diverse, EdSurge, HigherEdDive, and Axios.
Read and watch the full CBS58 story here.