Removing Barriers to Access in Idaho Direct Admissions and Apply Idaho Carson Howell Idaho State Board of Education
Idaho Status ~ 23K high school seniors ~ 45% enroll in college the fall immediately after graduating Eight public postsecondary institutions consisting of three universities, one 4-year college, four community colleges
Source: NCHEMS 2010
Who Are Idaho Students? State Go-On Percentage Percent in Poverty Percent Male Percent Hispanic Percent Urban Percent LDS Average of 62.2 9.5 49.3 10.1 73.6 3.5 States Idaho 45.1 9.7 50.1 10.6 70.6 26.1 Sources: NCHEMS, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Religion Census
Direct Admissions Qualification Criteria Frequency 0 200 400 600 800 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 multiple GPA SAT Multiple UI: 2.5 830 2075 BSU: 2.5 990 2475 Proposed: 2.7 1050 2835 3.4 830 2835 2.9 990 2835 2.0 1418 2835 3.0 945 2835 1.8 1600 2835 Regular Enrollment Conditional Enrollment GPA SAT GPA SAT ISU: 2.5 950 (490 Math, 460 Reading) ISU: 2.25 630 (270 Math, 360 Reading) LCSC: 2.0 690 LCSC: 2.0 560 UI: 2.5 830 UI: Institutional discretion BSU: 2.5 990 BSU: Institutional discretion
Direct Admissions Ad Campaign
Direct Admissions Qualification Criteria Does the student have an SAT or ACT score? Yes Does the student have at least 12 credits of high school work? No Yes No Group of 6 letter Does the student have a GPA of 3.0 or higher? Group of 6 letter Yes No Group of 8 letter Does the GPA multiplied by the math and EBRW SAT scores equal 2,835 or higher? Yes No Group of 8 letter Group of 6 letter
2014-2016 Change in Resident Enrollment 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% -5.0% Utah New Mexico Tennessee Idaho Colorado West Virginia Nevada Delaware Alabama Mississippi Nebraska Wyoming Maine Oklahoma Georgia Washington Oregon Arizona Texas North Carolina South Dakota South Carolina New Hampshire North Dakota Virginia New Jersey Iowa California Nation (Avg.) Louisiana Ohio Maryland Vermont Kansas Rhode Island New York Arkansas Indiana Minnesota Illinois Massachusetts Connecticut Florida Pennsylvania Michigan Kentucky Montana Wisconsin Missouri Hawaii Alaska -10.0% -15.0% Source: Table 309.20 NCES Fall 2016 and Fall 2014
Direct Admissions Student Stories Louis Comstock Graduated from: Boise High School Now attending: University of Idaho Mr. Comstock admits that his high school career had some ups and downs. He wasn t sure he d be able to go to college; the main driver for college was his mom. He wanted to go mainly for her. He was not aware the Direct Admissions letter was coming. When it did arrive, he was surprised to learn that University of Idaho was an option. His mom was encouraged when she saw him get more and more excited about going to college, mostly because he was doing it for himself instead of for her. Money still was a bit of an issue, but the Direct Admissions letter helped get things moving. He s loving college and is looking forward to what college has in store for him. Pull Quotes There were some times I definitely thought I d drop out of high school and wouldn t go on. And when I did get the letter, it gave me a kind of guarantee. I was really surprised. I wasn t planning on applying to U of I. I didn t think U of I was really on my radar in terms of being accepted. just the fact that I was accepted was enough to really get things started. I m super happy at college now. I m super excited for the next 4 years. I love my fraternity, I m having a great time. This wouldn t have happened without my letter. I m excited for what the future has to hold. Chase Edward Stevenson Graduated from: Kellogg High School Now attending: North Idaho College Mr. Stevenson is the first in his family to go to college. He did not know the Direct Admissions letter would be coming. His father had encouraged him to go to college, and everyone viewed the letter as his ticket to do so. He and his family were incredibly proud and grateful for the opportunity that Direct Admissions opened up not just for Chase but for the entire family. He believes that his enrollment in college gives the possibility to start a new trend in the Stevenson family. Pull Quotes It was actually one of the best things to ever happen to me. I actually wasn t sure if I d be accepted anywhere. I will always remember fondly how drastically the letter changed my life. I'd always wanted to go to college. When I pulled the letter out of the envelope, I remember looking up to my dad and saying, "I ve been accepted to a whole bunch of places in this one letter." The letter really changed my perspective. It genuinely opened doors for me that I'd never thought possible. I knew after receiving it that my dream of being the college English professor could come true. I truly hope that more kids get the same sense of life-long relief and excitement that I got from it. All in all, not only I, but my whole family are thankful for this letter. Because this gives the possibility to start a new trend in the Stevenson family.
How Much of an Did Your Direct Admissions Letter Have in Your Deciding to Attend College After High School? No Low Low- Medium Medium Medium- High n 468 216 102 179 88 73 % 42% 19% 9% 16% 8% 6% No Low Low- Medium Medium Medium- High n 505 204 99 180 63 72 % 45% 18% 9% 16% 6% 6% High How Much of an Did Your Direct Admissions Letter Have in Your Deciding to Apply to a Particular College? High
Most Important Factors for Selecting a Particular College Reason n % This college offers the degree program or courses I want 360 36% Cost of attending this college 215 22% This college is close to my home 137 14% I thought this college offered the best return on my investment 110 11% Scholarship or other financial aid from this college 92 9% I already earned college credits at this college through Dual 45 5% Credit, AP, or early college courses This college was included in my Direct Admissions letter 35 4%
Survey Responses on Level of of Direct Admissions Coded Response Coded n % Negative impact Negative 9 2% Already planned to attend, Direct Admissions did not help Already planned to attend, Direct Admissions helped Undecided or had not thought about attending college, Direct Admissions helped None 423 72% Moderate 131 22% High 28 5%
Direct Admissions Results 7,000 6,000 5,000 4,000 3,000 6.7% actual increase in Idaho enrollments 7.7% increase in 4-year institution numbers 4.8% increase in 2-year institution numbers 2,000 1,000 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Enrollment 5,541 5,458 4,937 5,307 5,354 5,712
Direct Admissions Changes Over Time Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 One round of letters Two rounds of letters Two rounds of letters One postcard, one round of Sent in November Application fee charged, credited back at attending institution Data collected from SDE Sent in September and October No application fee Data collected from SDE and LEAs Sent in September and October No application fee through Apply Idaho Data collected from SDE and LEAs letters Sent in September and October No application fee through Apply Idaho Data collected from SDE and LEAs
Apply Idaho Goals Simplify the application process Remove cost (money & time) How does it simplify the process? One application for all Idaho public institutions
Apply Idaho Common Application
Apply Idaho Reactions
Apply Idaho Results Institution Fall 2018 Applicants Fall 2017 Freshmen Fall 2018 Applicants / 2.55 Boise State University 5,355 1,142 2,100 Idaho State University 4,019 951 1,576 University of Idaho 3,866 991 1,516 College of Southern Idaho 2,502 530 981 College of Western Idaho 2,155 698 845 Lewis-Clark State College 1,917 366 752 North Idaho College 1,745 515 684 College of Eastern Idaho 940 51 369 22,499 total applications 8,814 unique applicants 2.55 applications per student (average)
Overall % Increase 88.3% Total Number of Apps 2016 14,644 2017 27,581
Total Local Applications 2016 2017 14,644 8,302 Total Complete Apply Idaho Applications 9,264 Total Incomplete Apply Idaho Applications 10,015 51.9% of all Apply Idaho apps
Not All Sunshine and Roses Apply Idaho is too easy - it is a great start but needs to be a little more realistic. There are hoops in college students have to jump through. Counselor You and this program have done a fantastic job. We must ensure the students have to do "some" work in the process to ensure they have skin in the fight. Counselor It was pretty easy, just annoying to have to fill out the extra emails. If I was to apply to colleges again, I would just go to their school website. Student
Lessons Learned Information flow up and down President to provost to admission officers Superintendents to principals to counselors There s never enough time to plan Understanding of purpose not always in sync Be prepared to take some lumps
Questions? Carson Howell carson.howell@osbe.idaho.gov (208) 332-1563