The Direct Admissions program is designed to make sure you know you have multiple college options in the fall after high school. No more wondering "Will I get in?" With Direct Admissions, you are proactively notified of which colleges and universities you are accepted to - before you even apply!

How does Direct Admissions work?

At the beginning of your senior year, you will receive a personalized survey that lists all the Minnesota colleges and universities that you are proactively admitted to. Here’s what to do next:

1. Check your school email: Look for your personalized survey link and your list of eligible colleges.

2. Explore your options: Use the links in your email to visit each college’s website and learn more about what they offer.

3. Complete your survey: Select the colleges you’re interested in being directly admitted to after you graduate. Once you complete the survey, those colleges will be notified and will reach out with next steps.

4. Follow each college’s process: Even though you’ve been directly admitted, you still need to complete each college’s application process and meet their deadlines to secure your spot. Some colleges may also request additional materials.

Explore your college options:

Not sure what college or colleges to pick? Take some time to explore your options with our College Search Tool. Students can create a MyHigherEd account to save your top choices, then compare your schools with our "View School Comparison" option.

Student Survey

This section helps you understand how to use your personalized survey to take the next step in the Direct Admissions process.

What’s in the email?

You’ll receive an email with:

• A list of colleges and universities you qualify for through Direct Admissions, grouped by region and institution type to help you explore your options.

• Direct links to each college’s website.

• A survey link to select your colleges of interest.

How to use the survey

When you open your survey link, you’ll go through two quick steps:

1. Direct Admissions Form

• This form looks like your email, but now you can select the colleges you want to move forward with.

• Choose as many as you’d like, those colleges will be notified.

2. Additional Information Form

• After you pick your colleges, you’ll see a second form with some additional information for the schools

• You can speed up the FREE application process by completing this optional survey after you have made your college and university selections.

Updating Your Survey

You can make changes to your survey at any time:

• Reopen your survey link anytime. The form will show the last information you submitted, so you can easily review or make changes.

• Add, remove, or change your college selections.

• Update your optional information.

• Each time you submit changes; you’ll get a confirmation email.

Tip: If your GPA changes, you can connect with your counselor to receive a new survey link with updated college options. Always use the survey link in the most recent email to make your selections.

College Communication

After you confirm your interest by making survey selections, each college or university that you select will email you information about your next steps. Some colleges will require additional materials, so check out the College Communication section below for more guidance on how each college or university will communicate with you.

After your survey is filled out

Up to this point the steps have been the same for all colleges: 

• You made your college selections through your personalized survey.

• OHE shared your proactive admission request with the schools you selected. 

Next, depending on the college, you will be asked to do one of the following: 

• Complete the full application – You will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application and will be asked to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.). You should supply the requested materials.

• Complete a partially completed or simplified application – You will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application, but it will ask fewer questions and you might not be required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.). Most colleges have eliminated these requirements for Direct Admissions students. That said, some of these materials are used to determine institutional scholarships, so it may still be in your best interest to submit them if you need financial aid.

• Complete an additional information form, but not the application – You will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s “additional information requested form,” but not an application and you will not be asked to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.)

Short Videos

Direct Admissions is here to simplify your college admissions process. Watch the following videos for a short explanation of the program and personal accounts of participating students. Watch the first video below, created for high school juniors, for an introduction to Direct Admissions.

Video 1: Direct Admissions Overview

Video 2: You Got Your Admissions Letter...Now What? 

Four-Year Colleges and Universities are schools that offer bachelor’s degrees, typically taking four years to complete. They provide a wide range of academic programs and majors, along with opportunities for research, internships, and campus involvement. Some four-year schools are public (state universities), while others are private colleges or universities. Admission requirements vary, and students usually need to meet certain GPA, test score, or course prerequisites.

• Bachelor’s Degree: The standard four-year degree, which can prepare you for a career or graduate/professional school.

• Campus Experience: Many students live on campus, participate in student organizations, and access career services to support life after graduation.

Community colleges are two-year schools that offer an affordable way to continue your education after high school. They can prepare you for the workforce with an associate degree or allow you to earn credits that transfer to a four-year college or university. Most community colleges have open admission policies, meaning they accept all students with a high school diploma or equivalent.

• Minnesota Transfer Curriculum: Learn how your credits transfer within Minnesota’s public colleges and universities.

• Transferology: Explore how your courses transfer to different schools.

• Technical colleges in Minnesota prepare students for high-paying, in-demand careers in a wide range of fields. Programs cover traditional trades like plumbing, auto mechanics, and electrical work, as well as modern industries such as robotics, cybersecurity, and engineering.

• Minnesota Department of Education: Learn more about career technical education.

• Minnesota Office of Higher Education

• MN Private Colleges Council

• How to Request a Transcript Instructions: Class of 2026

• How to Request a Transcript Instructions: Alumni

• How to Access Your Unofficial Transcript: Infinite Campus > Documents 

• Questions About Transcripts: Contact Sundus Munassar in the Counseling Office