SoWashCo Schools is participating in a new state pilot program called Direct Admissions Minnesota. Direct Admissions Minnesota is designed to make sure all high school students know that they have options for education and training after high school through Minnesota’s colleges. We want to reduce anxiety surrounding college admissions by telling students which colleges they have already met the admissions standards, waiving all application fees, and streamlining the admissions process. 

Based on a review of your student’s 11th grade transcript (grade point average and course grades), students may receive a letter or email sometime in November indicating which college(s) your student has met the admissions criteria.

Your student will then be asked to select to which colleges they would like to be directly admitted. By selecting yes to be directly admitted to one or more participating colleges, the following information is collected by the school and shared with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education:

• Name

• MARSS number

• Academic information

• High school transcript

• Contact information

• Gender

• Birthdate

• Colleges selected by your student for direct admissions.

This data will be used by the school or district, and the Minnesota Office of Higher Education staff to notify colleges of your student’s direct admissions participation, waive application fees at the colleges, and provide colleges with your student’s contact information to complete the admissions process.

Your student is not required to provide this information and may choose to apply to any of the participating colleges using the application links they provide on their website; however, application fees waivers are not guaranteed.

In addition, the Office of Higher Education will ask your student to volunteer additional contact information to facilitate the college admissions process (e.g. contact information, anticipated date of enrollment, parent or guardian name and contact information). Your student is not required to submit the personal contact or anticipated enrollment information requested. If your student does not provide the personal contact or anticipated enrollment information, your student may still participate in Direct Admissions, and the colleges your student selected will be instructed to reach out to your student for this information via the admissions application form or other means. 

Information your student provides and information about your student as part of Direct Admissions Minnesota is available only to you, South Washington County Schools staff, the Office of Higher Education, the colleges your student selects, the Office of the Legislative Auditor, and upon court order.

There are 55 Minnesota colleges participating in the program. A list of colleges participating is provided below.

If you DO NOT wish your student to participate in Direct Admissions Minnesota, please complete this opt-out form no later than Nov. 3, 2023. To complete the form you will need your student’s ID number found on their student badge and in the Parent Portal.

 

Colleges participating in Direct Admissions Minnesota 2023-2024 

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities 

• Alexandria Community and Technical College

• Anoka Technical College

• Anoka-Ramsey Community College

• Bemidji State University

• Central Lakes College

• Century College

• Dakota County Technical College

• Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College

• Hennepin Technical College

• Inver Hills Community College

• Lake Superior College

• Metropolitan State University

• Minneapolis College 

• Minnesota North College

• Minnesota State College Southeast

• Minnesota State Community and Technical College

• Minnesota State University Moorhead

• Minnesota State University, Mankato

• Minnesota West Community & Technical College

• Normandale Community College

• North Hennepin Community College 

• Northland Community & Technical College

• Northwest Technical College

• Pine Technical & Community College

• Ridgewater College

• Riverland Community College

• Rochester Community and Technical

• Saint Paul College

• South Central College

• Southwest Minnesota State University

• St. Cloud State University

• St. Cloud Technical & Community College

• Winona State University

 

University of Minnesota 

• University of Minnesota Crookston

• University of Minnesota Duluth

• University of Minnesota Morris

• University of Minnesota Rochester

 

Tribal Colleges 

• Red Lake Nation College

• White Earth Tribal & Community College

 

Private Colleges

• Augsburg University

• Bethany Lutheran College

• Bethel University (and Bethel University Online)

• College of Saint Benedict

• College of St. Scholastica, The

• Concordia College

• Concordia University St. Paul

• Gustavus Adolphus College

• Hamline University

• Minneapolis College of Art and Design

• Northwestern Health Sciences University

• Saint John's University

• Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

• St. Catherine University

• University of St. Thomas