Accepted without Applying: The Growth of Direct Admissions

This year, thousands of students will be accepted to colleges without ever submitting a formal application. That’s because more and more schools are automatically accepting students who meet preset performance thresholds through direct admissions programs. To learn more about this growing trend, Michael and Jeff welcome Luke Skurman who is CEO of Niche.com, one of the nation’s largest direct admissions platforms. They discuss the benefits and risks of this innovation and dig into how it changes the dynamics between schools and students. Michael and Jeff then envision the variety of changes required in the college admissions process. This episode is made with support from Ascendium Education Group, the Gates Foundation, and the American College of Education. Chapters0:00 Intro02:26 - The Backstory on Direct Admissions06:35 - How Niche Direct Admissions Works09:09 - The Benefit to Students and Institutions11:29 - Another Application Count Booster?14:25 - Obstacle or Litmus Test?15:56 - Changing Dynamics19:40 - The Competitive Landscape20:41 - What’s Next?25:38 - The Three Parts of Admissions30:23 - Weighing the Pros and Cons of Direct Admissions36:26 - Reimagining the College Admissions Process Connect with Michael Horn:Sign Up for the The Future of Education NewsletterWebsiteLinkedInX (Twitter)Threads  Connect with Jeff Selingo:Sign Up for the Next NewsletterWebsiteX (Twitter)ThreadsLinkedInConnect with Future U:TwitterYouTubeThreadsInstagramFacebookLinkedIn  Submit a question and if we answer it on air we'll send you Future U. swag!Sign up for Future U. emails to get special updates and behind-the-scenes content.