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 will Direct Admissions work?
At the beginning of your senior year, you will receive a personalized letter that lists all the Minnesota colleges and universities that you are proactively admitted to.
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.
If you already know which college(s) you would like to move forward with, select them in your survey. If you select "yes" to a college or university, then you are interested in being directly admitted to them for Fall 2025.
After you confirm your interest, 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.
You can speed up the FREE application process by completing the optional survey after you have made your college and university selections.
Be sure to finalize your application and confirm your interest of enrollment with each college or university that you want to move forward with. You must still follow your institution's application deadlines to secure your spot.
College Communication
Post-Selection Process
After you've made your college selections in your survey, your next steps will depend on which colleges you selected. Each college will send communication in a variety of ways (Timeframe of response and other next step details are outlined in the College-Specific Information about Application Process below)
You may need to complete a full or simplified application. Colleges will send a link directly to your email. If the college asks for an essay or letters of recommendation, you must provide those materials to complete your application. However, you don’t need to worry about a less-than-stellar essay affecting your chances of admission. You are already admitted - as long as you complete the process!
Keep in mind that essays and letters of recommendation often serve an additional purpose for colleges, such as giving you a merit scholarship or identifying you for participation in programs. Colleges that recommend submitting these additional materials for financial aid and other purposes are indicated in the College-Specific Information about Application Process table.
These first couple steps will be the same for all colleges:
- You make your college selections.
- After selecting your colleges, you will be asked to voluntarily provide additional contact info (alternative email, mailing address, etc.) to OHE via a web form. OHE will share this information with your colleges. This step streamlines the application process for many colleges, so it is in your best interest to complete this additional web form!
Then, 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.). Some 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.)
Go to the next accordion item to see college-specific information and what is required from each college.
College Communication Next Steps and Reply Timeline
Name of college | Application Guidance: What is required from the student? | Timeframe of response | Format of communication student can expect to receive |
Alexandria Technical and Community College
| Complete Full Application: Student will receive a link in an email to complete the college's application. Note from college: Some programs have specific requirements that need to be completed for acceptance. Scholarship applications are separate from admissions applications. | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Text Message |
Anoka Technical College
| Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | 2 to 3 business days | |
Anoka-Ramsey Community College
| Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link to complete an “additional information requested form,” but not an application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 4 to 5 business days | |
| Augsburg University | Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link to complete an “additional information requested form,” but not an application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Bemidji State University | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | About a week | Email, Text Message |
| Bethany Lutheran College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 4 to 5 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Bethel University | Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link in an email to complete the college’s supplemental form. Note from college: Form will require students to answer questions and acknowledge college's faith statement. | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Bethel University - Online | Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link to complete an “additional information requested form,” but not an application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Central Lakes College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. | About a week | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Century College | Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link to complete an “additional information requested form,” but not an application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | About a week | |
| College of Saint Scholastica | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 4 to 5 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Concordia College - Moorhead | Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link to complete an “additional information requested form,” but not an application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | About a week | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Concordia University - St. Paul | CSP begins an application on behalf of the student with the information provided via the Direct Admissions program. Students receive an email on the day that Concordia receives their contact information, asking student to create an account (using the email address provided). Students required to answer a few additional questions to finalize and submit their application. Once the student creates their account and submits their application, they will receive an email within 24 hours notifying them to log into their CSP applicant portal to view their official acceptance letter. | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Dakota County Technical College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call |
| Dunwoody College of Technology | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Hamline University | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter |
| Hennepin Technical College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Inver Hills Community College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | 2 to 3 business days | |
| Lake Superior College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | About a week | Email, Direct Mail/Letter |
| Metropolitan State University | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | About a week | Email, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Minneapolis College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Minneapolis College of Art and Design | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Minnesota North College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 4 to 5 business days | Email, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Minnesota State College Southeast | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 4 to 5 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter |
| Minnesota State Community and Technical College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Minnesota State University Mankato | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Text Message |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead | Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link to complete an “additional information requested form,” but not an application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter |
| Minnesota West Community and Technical College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | 4 to 5 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call |
| Normandale Community College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | 4 to 5 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| North Hennepin Community College | Students will receive a link to an online application with a promo code included to waive the application fee. | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Northland Community and Technical College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | |
| Northwest Technical College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | |
| Northwestern Health Sciences University | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | About a week | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Text Message |
| Pine Technical and Community College | Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link to complete an “additional information requested form,” but not an application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | About a week | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Red Lake Nation College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Ridgewater College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | 4 to 5 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter |
| Riverland Community College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Rochester Community and Technical College | Students will receive a link to complete an online application. After the application is submitted, the college will request additional materials. | 2-3 weeks | Email, Direct Mail/Letter |
| Saint Cloud State University | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Saint John's University/College of Saint Benedict | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | 4 to 5 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Saint Mary's University of MN | College sends the student a link to complete setting up their application account, from there, the student needs to review their application, and hit submit. College creates an application on their behalf, but still require the student to set up their application account, as this is where students can view their digital decision letter. | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| Saint Paul College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter |
| South Central College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | About a week | Email, Direct Mail/Letter |
| Southwest Minnesota State University | Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link to complete an “additional information requested form,” but not an application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | About a week | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| St. Catherine University | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Text Message |
| St. Cloud Technical & Community College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 4 to 5 business days | Email, Text Message |
| University of Minnesota - Crookston | Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link to complete an “additional information requested form,” but not an application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Phone Call, Text Message |
| University of Minnesota - Duluth | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | 2 to 3 business days | |
| University of Minnesota - Morris | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | About a week | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| University of Minnesota - Rochester | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 4 to 5 business days | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| University of Saint Thomas | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) Some supplemental materials are used to determine institutional scholarships. If the student needs financial aid, they should contact the college's financial aid office to learn more. | About a week | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
| White Earth Tribal and Community College | Complete Full Application: Students will receive a link in an email to complete the college’s application. Students required to submit additional materials (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | 2 to 3 business days | Email, Phone Call |
| Winona State University | Complete Additional Information Requested Form: Students receive a link to complete an “additional information requested form,” but not an application. No additional materials required (letter of reference, personal essay, etc.) | About a week | Email, Direct Mail/Letter, Phone Call, Text Message |
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.
An Introduction to Direct Admissions
Participating Colleges and Universities
Check out the Minnesota technical, tribal, and community colleges, as well as four-year public and private universities participating in the program.
More Information
Student Voices
The following videos are testimonials by real high-school seniors, class of 2024 at Hmong college Prep Academy in Saint Paul, who participated in Direct Admissions. These students offer their personal perspective about navigating their transition to higher education and the benefits they experienced as Direct Admissions participants.
Ella Khang
Class of 2024 graduate at Hmong College Prep Academy
Lucas Yang
Class of 2024 graduate at Hmong College Prep Academy
Timothy Lor
Class of 2024 graduate at Hmong College Prep Academy
Mina Lor
Class of 2024 graduate at Hmong College Prep Academy
If you like these videos and find their stories helpful, please share them with your friends. Remember, you are college material, and Direct Admissions can help you get there.
Need more help?
Learn more about applying for financial aid with the FAFSA.
