More public colleges admit high schoolers (9th Graders!) even before they’ve applied

Direct admissions programs are likely to grow in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing race-based admissions.

For some ninth graders near Fresno, California, the invitation — years before they’ll don a cap and gown — comes out of the blue: You’ve been accepted to Fresno State, the letter says.

Public universities across the country increasingly are sending such acceptance letters even before students apply to college. In more than a third of states, at least one public university now uses “direct admission” programs that automatically admit high school students if they meet certain academic criteria.