Our community members are doing news-worthy work! Check out some of the local and national admissions redesign buzz below.
Dr. Melanie Heath, Strategy Director at Lumina Foundation, publishes a LinkedIn newsletter capturing her reflections from the front seat of the admissions redesign movement. Subscribe here, or explore the latest newsletter editions below.
One of the things I love most about admissions redesign is imagining what the college-going process could feel like when we remove some of the work we've historically asked students to do. A student doesn't have to complete an application before learning they're admitted. Financial aid information can be clarified and arrive earlier, and transcripts and data can move between systems. Advising can become proactive and embedded in the curriculum, rather than something students have to know to seek out. But something can get lost when we talk about better processes, automation, and technology: Read more >
Anyone who knows me well knows that I adore Dolly Parton. I love her music, her humor, the rhinestones, and the fact that after all these years she remained so wonderfully and unmistakably herself. So, like so many others, I've been thinking about Dolly a lot since her passing last week. The extraordinary outpouring of love for her has been moving to see, and I've been struck by how much of the conversation has focused not only on the music she gave us, but on the generosity, optimism, and genuine care for people that defined so much of her life. Education was an important part of that legacy. Read more >
Yesterday, I read an Inside Higher Ed article about the persistence of college admissions myths and the challenges institutions face in debunking them. It made me wonder, though, whether we're asking the wrong question. Instead of asking why admissions myths persist, maybe we should ask, What it is about the admissions process that allows myths to flourish? Read more >
When people think about college admissions, they often picture a high school senior staring at a college application, wondering what comes next. Maybe they're imagining the future they want, comparing colleges, or debating whether to hit "submit." For many high school students, one question sits at the center of that experience: Will I get in? ....However, adult learners considering higher education arrive with a different set of experiences—and a different question: How do I go? Read more >
A few years ago, I found myself asking a simple question: Why is getting into college still so complicated? Students encounter a maze of applications, financial aid forms, transcripts, deadlines, emails, portals, and decisions that rarely seem designed to work together. For years, we've asked students to navigate a process that we, as higher education professionals, know is fragmented. We've become so accustomed to those disconnected systems that it's easy to forget what they feel like for a student. But across the country, that's beginning to change. Read more >
The Wall Street Journal | September 8, 2026
Hundreds of colleges are sending students letters of admission—without even requiring an application. Schools are increasingly agreeing to admit students based on a handful of criteria, like high school transcripts. Known as “direct admissions,” this expedited process is free and omits required essays, questions about extracurriculars and mandated standardized tests...
Inside Higher Ed | September 8, 2026
his fall, a group of private and public colleges in Michigan are joining the dozens of states where students can be admitted to college without sending in an application. But Michigan’s approach differs from the traditional direct-admissions model, in part because it lacks the data infrastructure that most states rely on to send out offers of admission. The program in Michigan could be an example for other states with similar data constraints...
Higher Ed Dive | August 27, 2026
MCAN Executive Director Ryan Fewins-Bliss said direct admissions offers help students see themselves as college material. “When colleges say, ‘We want you here, and you’re already admitted,’ it changes the entire conversation around postsecondary education.” Completing a profile for MI College Match should take students between 15 and 20 minutes, according to an FAQ on its website. After that, college admissions officials will see anonymized versions of each student’s profile and issue offers based on them...
Inside Higher Ed | August 10, 2026
Some students at private colleges in Washington State recently received an unpleasant surprise: Legislators had cut by a third the Washington College Grant, a state award they counted on to cover a big chunk of their tuition costs, starting this fall. A legislative push to boost the grant failed to get off the ground, leaving students—and their institutions—on the hook for thousands of dollars...
EducationWeek | July 17, 2026
More than 130,000 Georgia high school seniors will receive letters in October listing colleges and universities that are saving spots for them in their 2027 freshman classes—even though they never applied. Georgia is one of 19 states that have developed some form of a direct-admissions system...
Forbes | May 21, 2026
For decades, the message to high school seniors has been the same: if you want to go to college, you have to prove you belong. Find the right schools. Build a list. Write the essays. Pay the application fees. Wait by the mailbox. That model is now shifting — and quickly. In an era when many continue to question the value of college, it is incumbent on colleges to flip the script...
University of Hawai'i | April 9, 2026
The University of Hawaiʻi has been selected as one of 10 recipients of a national grant from Lumina Foundation’s Great Admissions Redesign initiative to expand its Direct2UH program. The $400,000 grant is part of the foundation’s $3.5 million investment to simplify the college admissions process and expand student access across the country...
Tennessee Board of Regents
The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) has been selected as one of 10 recipients of a national grant from Lumina Foundation’s Great Admissions Redesign initiative, which is investing more than $3.5 million to simplify the college admissions process and expand student access across the country. Through this grant, TBR will streamline the enrollment process for dual enrollment at its community and technical colleges and improve the student experience once there...
Idaho State University | April 8, 2026
Idaho State University (ISU), the College of Southern Idaho (CSI), and the College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) have been awarded a $450,000 grant through Lumina Foundation’s Great Admissions Redesign initiative to create a simpler, more connected path for students working toward a bachelor’s degree...
Miami Dade College | April 8, 2026
Miami, Fla. — Miami Dade College (MDC) has been selected as one of 10 recipients of a national grant from Lumina Foundation’s Great Admissions Redesign initiative, which is investing more than $3.5 million to simplify the college admissions process and expand student access nationwide. Through this grant, MDC will implement the Multi-Term Enrollment Model, allowing students to register for multiple academic terms at once...
University of Wisconsin System | April 8, 2026
MADISON, Wis.—The Universities of Wisconsin will use a $100,000 grant as part of Lumina Foundation’s Great Admissions Redesign initiative to identify math courses that prepare students for college-level work. The funding is part of a $3.5 million investment by Lumina, announced today, to simplify the college admissions process and expand student access across the country...
Education Strategy Group | April 8, 2026
For years, the conversation around college access was focused on the “front door.” But for a student navigating the modern landscape, that door is often hidden behind a maze of disconnected applications, complex financial aid forms, and siloed advising systems. At Education Strategy Group (ESG), we see a fundamental shift occurring: admissions is moving from a standalone hurdle to a coordinated pathway that defines a student’s entire postsecondary journey...