Expanding postsecondary access through statewide direct admissions: Learnings from a multiyear partnership

Expanding Opportunity through State Partnership: A Connecticut Story

Overview

Direct admissions programs are fundamentally changing how students access higher education. Instead of requiring high school seniors to navigate the lengthy and confusing process of applying to multiple colleges, direct admissions proactively offers them guaranteed admission based on their academic qualifications. This approach reduced administrative complexity, saving students time and money and removing barriers that disproportionately affect low-income and first-generation students.

For that reason in particular, direct admissions plays a powerful role in supporting Common App’s moonshot goal to close the gap in students from low- and middle-income communities applying for postsecondary opportunities.

Common App began piloting a direct admissions program with a small number of member institutions during the 2021-2022 application season. Since then, Common App has greatly expanded its direct admissions program, with more than 200 member institutions participating in 2025-2026.

We also partner with state university systems and higher education agencies to administer statewide direct admissions programs. The Connecticut Automatic Admission Program (CAAP) is a statewide initiative established in 2022 to expand postsecondary access and simplify the path to college for Connecticut’s high school seniors. This program aligns with Common App’s mission to close the equity gap in postsecondary attainment, especially for first-generation and low- and middle-income students.

Over two years of partnering with the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU), CAAP has successfully fulfilled its promise, demonstrating remarkable growth and proving especially effective at engaging students who face the greatest barriers to higher education.

Key Findings: Removing Barriers Leads to Massive Growth

Simplified requirements lead to expanded reach.

During the pilot year, the process of determining a student's eligibility was a major hurdle. Counselors were tasked with calculating a student's high school class rank (top 30%), which proved to be a significant bottleneck for expanding the program.

The Crucial Change: To maximize reach and efficiency, CSCU and Common App shifted the eligibility requirement from class rank to high school GPA (2.75 unweighted or 3.0 weighted). This allowed students to self-report their GPA quickly and easily within the application platform.

This change instantly broadened the program’s scope:

• The number of students receiving offers surged from 2,706 (representing 8% of Connecticut seniors on Common App) in 2023-2024 to 19,393 (representing 53% of Connecticut seniors on Common App) in 2024-2025.
• Overall, the program’s reach increased tenfold compared to the initial pilot year, with over 22,000 Connecticut students receiving automatic admissions offers between 2023-2024 and 2024-2025.

Early and frequent communication drives response.

Maximizing the program’s reach also required timely and accessible information for students. Common App and CSCU made several key changes to improve communication efforts during the 2024-2025 application season:

• Earlier Offers: Notifications were moved up, with the first offers sent in September in 2024-2025, compared to November in the prior year.
• Increased Frequency: Common App began identifying and notifying newly eligible students weekly throughout the application season, rather than just twice per season.
• Digital Interface: Communication was enhanced by adding a direct admissions notification to the student’s dashboard within the application platform, making it easier for students to view and act on their offers.

Data confirmed the value of early notification: Eligible students who entered required information and received offers in October were twice as likely to respond and apply to an offering institution (8%) compared to those who didn't receive offers until May (3%).

Direct Admissions supports those who need it most.

The program proved especially effective at motivating students who traditionally face the highest barriers to college.

• Nearly half (46%) of all students who received a CAAP offer ultimately applied to at least one participating institution.
• First-generation students and students from below-median income ZIP codes were twice as likely to respond to a CAAP offer by submitting an application compared to their peers.
• Students eligible for a fee waiver and those identifying as an underrepresented minority (URM) were also twice as likely to apply in response to an offer.

This indicates that proactively reducing application barriers significantly strengthens the pathway to college for students who may have otherwise ruled themselves out.

Lessons Learned: Factors Influencing Student Decisions

Beyond simple eligibility, several factors influence whether a student acts on a direct admissions offer:

• Proximity Matters: Students were several times more likely to respond to an offer if the offering institution was closer to their residence. For example, students living within 15 miles responded to 14% of offers, while those living over 60 miles away responded to only 5% of offers. This suggests that familiarity with the offering institution is an important consideration for students.
• The Power of Counselors: Clear, consistent messaging and continued investment in training for high school counselors are essential to ensure students and families understand their offers and the necessary next steps.
• Filling the Information Gap: While direct admission simplifies the application, many eligible students are unfamiliar with the institutions offering them admission. To encourage more students to apply, institutions need tailored communication plans and targeted outreach to provide more information about the school shortly after the student submits the simplified application.

CAAP and other direct admissions programs are designed to eliminate the initial friction of applying. Still, their ultimate success relies on addressing other barriers to postsecondary education, most notably the high cost of attendance. The best results occur when direct admissions is integrated with other support systems, such as college coaching and financial aid information.

Go Deeper

Learn more about Common App’s partnership with Connecticut and the outcomes of our two-year partnership.