Direct Admissions Program to Provide Immediate Acceptance and Scholarship Offers

Kutztown University Launches Direct Admissions Program to Provide Immediate Acceptance and Scholarship Offers

November 21, 2024

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Three universities in Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) have launched a new program to simplify and streamline the admission process for students and families.

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Kutztown University, Shippensburg University and Pennsylvania Western University (PennWest) are now offering real-time acceptance and scholarship offers to high school seniors who meet each university's admissions requirements through a partnership with Niche Direct Admissions^®.

"PASSHE is committed to innovating and expanding opportunities for students to get a college education that prepares them for success in Pennsylvania," said Interim Chancellor Chris Fiorentino. "This direct admissions program at three universities will provide students and families with a more streamlined way to apply for college, saving students time so they can focus on choosing the college that is the best fit for them.

"The program is another example of PASSHE's dedication to serving students of all backgrounds and increasing access to higher education in order to ease worker shortages and strengthen the state's economy."

This marks the first time any PASSHE university has offered a direct pathway to admission. Across the country, colleges and universities are increasingly adopting this approach to modernize the application process. Direct admission also helps break down barriers to enrollment, especially for first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented minority students.

How Niche Direct Admissions works

Prospective high school students create a free profile with Niche - nearly one out of every two college-bound seniors does so each year. High school seniors who meet each university's admissions requirements will instantly learn if they have been accepted to Kutztown, PennWest and/or Shippensburg universities, all within their Niche account. Eligible students also receive merit scholarship offers, detailed information about each university, and the option to begin the enrollment process.

"I am pleased that we have selected Niche as one of our partners in support of our multi-faceted Strategic Enrollment Management plan," said Dr. Kenneth S. Hawkinson, president of Kutztown University. "We are hopeful that our relationship will create successful enrollment pathways for high school students in their transition to Kutztown University."

"Through this partnership, Shippensburg University can enhance student accessibility and our ability to serve a broader population of students with the quality and affordable education Ship is known to deliver. We are excited to offer this additional pathway for students as we continue to adapt to their needs," said Dr. Charles E. Patterson, president of Shippensburg University.

PennWest has received a generous grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation for each of its three campuses - PennWest California, PennWest Clarion, and PennWest Edinboro - to participate in the Niche Direct Admissions program for two consecutive admissions cycles. The foundation is dedicated to promoting the health and vitality of the Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania region by investing in transformative initiatives across various sectors, including education.

"Too many high-school graduates and GED recipients choose not to apply to college because they don't believe they are qualified; they consider the application process too complicated; or they are concerned they can't afford to attend," said Sam Reiman, director of the Richard King Mellon Foundation. "We are excited to partner with Niche and PASSHE to fund the launch of Direct Admissions at PennWest to help solve for these problems, so that more students can obtain the higher education and the path to economic mobility they deserve."

Dr. Jon Anderson, president of PennWest University, added, "As the second-largest public university in western Pennsylvania, PennWest plays an important role in providing access to higher education for the communities we serve. We thank the Richard King Mellon Foundation for their support to help us connect students with college opportunities all the while breaking down barriers to apply and enroll. We are thrilled to be engaged with Niche as we bring forward our direct admission program to students and families across western Pennsylvania and the commonwealth."

Students using direct admissions do not need to submit applications, letters of recommendation, or personal essays to be admitted to Kutztown, PennWest and/or Shippensburg universities. Students can still apply to these institutions via a traditional application. The same admissions criteria apply to all students, regardless of their chosen admissions process.

"Times have changed. Today's students expect a modern, personalized, and transparent admissions process," says Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche. "Forward-thinking schools like Kutztown, Shippensburg and PennWest, and the visionaries at the Richard King Mellon Foundation, recognize the need for higher education to innovate, especially if we're to do a better job reaching first-gen, Pell Grant eligible students and underrepresented communities."

Kutztown, PennWest, and Shippensburg universities are now actively offering Niche Direct Admissions to the high school class of 2025.

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ABOUT PASSHE:

Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is the public university system of the commonwealth with a mission to provide a high-quality education at the lowest possible cost to students. The State System annually confers more than 20,000 degrees and has more than 800,000 living alumni, most of whom live in Pennsylvania. The State System universities are Cheyney, Commonwealth (Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield), East Stroudsburg, Indiana, Kutztown, Millersville, PennWest (California, Clarion and Edinboro), Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania.

ABOUT NICHE:

Niche is changing how colleges connect with students and build their future classes. As the trusted partner to hundreds of colleges, Niche is helping higher education institutions across the country streamline operations, forge genuine connections with students and achieve their enrollment targets. Named to TIME's list of Best Inventions as one of the world's groundbreaking innovations, the Niche Direct Admissions^® program allows colleges to proactively accept qualified students based solely on their Niche Profile. Through real-time acceptance and scholarship opportunities, Niche Direct Admissions offers a modern experience for today's students, resulting in more enrollments for college admissions teams. Learn more about how over 130 institutions are already leveraging Niche Direct Admissions.