This week, 62,959 rising high school seniors in North Carolina will get letters in the mail saying they've been accepted to dozens of in-state colleges and universities.
A group of colleges and universities have joined together to launch a new direct admission program called NC College Connect that's poised to change how high schoolers across the state navigate the college admissions process.
The letters students receive this week will let them know they've already been accepted to a list of schools — without ever filling out an application, writing an essay, or submitting letters of recommendation.
Eleven UNC System universities, 29 independent colleges and universities, and all North Carolina Community Colleges have joined the program to offer direct admission to students that meet their GPA and high school course requirements.
"It is opening the door to our colleges for our students to see themselves walk through the door in a way that we've never done before," said Sneha Shah-Coltrane, of the Department of Public Instruction, who helped initiate the program.
NC College Connect started as a pilot program with five UNC System universities and NC Community Colleges last year, and has made a broad expansion this school year, bringing many college options into the fold. The state agency CFNC: College For North Carolina is helping administer the program.
"We have all come together to say, 'How can we make college admissions easier? How can we open the doors, provide access, provide opportunity?’ Because for so many students, they do not see themselves as college-ready," Shah-Coltrane said.
All that students need to do to claim a spot at a college or university after receiving acceptance is to answer five basic questions, including when they plan to enroll, what they plan to study, and their email.
Those that respond to this survey during the North Carolina College Application Week, October 20-26, will also have application fees waived for most schools.
The state board of education celebrated the announcement at their meeting last week, and the board's student advisor Ian House praised it.
"Some of the students who I've been fortunate to speak to always ask, 'What's the catch?" House said. "And they're very surprised that there's not (a catch)."
Students can still apply to other colleges in North Carolina or beyond, but once a student is ready to make a formal commitment to a school through NC College Connect, they can simply begin the process to enroll and seek financial aid.
Any student with a 2.8 weighted high school GPA who has completed a fourth math class in high school will be eligible for admission to 33 colleges this year. More than half of last year's 11th graders meet that qualification. Another 30,000 students are receiving letters with direct admission to 41 colleges, some of which have set additional requirements.
"It's direct admission, that we are now saying, 'With these qualifications, with your transcript having been verified, you are in. Claim your spot!'" Shah-Coltrane explained.
Students may still meet these qualifications during their senior year, and all students are still eligible to apply to any of the participating schools even if they are not offered direct admission.
For colleges and universities, this program means an expanded pool of applicants at a time when many institutions face falling enrollment. The only UNC System schools not participating in NC College Connect are among the state's most competitive: N.C. State University, N.C. A&T State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC School of the Arts, and UNC-Wilmington.
