UW–Madison’s Taylor Odle, an assistant professor in the School of Education’s Department of Educational Policy Studies, recently shared insights with Insider Higher Ed on a successful direct admissions pilot in California.
As part of the pilot, the California State University (CSU) system began offering guaranteed admission to qualifying high school seniors in Riverside County at 10 CSU campuses last year. The program has proved highly successful, prompting CSU to expand the initiative statewide. Beginning with the 2026–27 admissions cycle, eligible students in every California school district will receive direct admission offers.
Odle, who conducts national research on direct admissions, said such programs — now implemented in about 15 states — have demonstrated strong results.
“My work, in partnership with states and national nonprofit organizations, shows that direct admissions programs can not only increase students’ early-college going behaviors but also subsequently raise their college enrollment outcomes,” Odle wrote in an email to Inside Higher Ed. “These benefits are particularly large for students of color, those who will be the first in their family to attend college, and those from lower-income communities. States who have implemented direct admissions also consistently report higher enrollment levels following implementation.”
While noting that states define “direct admissions” in slightly different ways, Odle described a true direct admissions program as one that is “guaranteed (students are admitted to college; not an invitation to apply), universal (all students can participate), proactive (students don’t need to do anything to receive a direct admissions offer), simplified (students don’t need to apply; simply ‘claim their spot’ via a streamlined process), and free (no cost).”
Read the full article in Inside Higher Ed.