The state of Texas has made a move to help its students navigate the college application process. Texas students can now access a tool that allows them to see which state public universities would accept them before they even apply.

“I think it is a great tool for students and families to use to help them explore different universities in deciding the right place for their post high school goals,” college and career counselor Tricia Neumann said. “This could help students in their college search process because it might highlight some universities that students were unaware of or universities that were not on the student’s radar.”

This new tool aims to make the college application process easier for students. College application can be stressful for many students. 

“I think it is a good idea for students who are starting their journey with post-secondary options,” advanced academics case manager Amy Rogers said, “Especially if they know what they want to study, but might not know where they want to go.”

Traditionally, students would apply to multiple universities without knowing if they had a chance of being accepted. This led to wasted time, money and effort on both the part of the students and the universities. With the new tool in place, Texas students can now make better decisions about where to apply based on their likelihood of acceptance. 

Students now have the ability to see which public universities would accept them based on  their class rank, grade average, and test scores. This not only saves students time and money, but it also allows them to focus their efforts on applying to schools where they have a higher likelihood of being accepted.  

“Direct Admission is a useful app that simplifies the college application process,” senior Cash Hayter said.  “Making it easier for students like me to apply to multiple colleges and knowing which one would accept us.”

This tool can help students who may not have considered certain universities due to perceived barriers such as academic requirements.

“The most important thing to remember, though, in this new system is that students still need to apply to the school and meet their deadlines,” Neumann said. “Also, this just guarantees acceptance into the university, assuming everything the student self-reported is accurate. (The university will verify everything.) This does not guarantee acceptance into specific majors/programs within the university.”