245 High Schools Will Participate in Direct Admissions This Fall

5/28/2025

 

This fall, 245 high schools from across the state will participate in the Minnesota Office of Higher Education’s (OHE) Direct Admissions Minnesota Program. This represents an increase of over 60 schools from the 2024-25 school year.

The program, which is optional for schools to participate in, reimagines the college application process. Each fall, students at participating high schools receive a personalized letter of Minnesota colleges and universities that are offering them proactive admissions based on their academic record. Students are then able to select the college that fits them best and complete their application knowing they will be accepted. The program also waives application fees, removing a financial barrier for those considering college.

“With Direct Admissions, we’re removing the anxiety and cost of applying to college,” OHE Commissioner Dennis Olson said. “Our goal is for every student in the state to see themselves as college material, whether that’s a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree, certificate, or diploma. I am ecstatic to see more high schools joining the program this fall and hope every student at these schools participates in the program.”

Since the program was established by the Minnesota Legislature in 2021, Direct Admissions has continued to grow each year. The first year had 31 participating high schools and 11,931 eligible students. During 2025-26 academic year, which is the fourth year of the program, there will be 245 participating high schools and over 37,000 eligible students. Participating schools are located all over the state, with an almost fifty percent representation for both metro and Greater Minnesota.

The list of participating high schools for the fall reflects OHE’s efforts to recruit alternative learning centers, online schools, tribally affiliated schools, and competency-based high schools. Staff will also launch an online portal this fall to streamline the experience for students and improve data collection and reporting. Another change being sustained this fall includes expanding the mentor program, which pairs veteran schools who have participated before with new schools participating for the first time.  

Program Success

Data on Direct Admissions shows that students participating in the program have a higher rate of enrolling in a Minnesota college as well as a higher rate of completing the FAFSA, which is a key indicator for whether a student will attend postsecondary.

According to the latest program report, when looking at the 2023-24 school year, 76 percent of students attending a Direct Admissions high school filed a FAFSA, compared to a 50 percent completion rate when looking at all graduating seniors. Data also shows that 46 percent of students enrolled in a Minnesota college after graduation as compared to 28 percent of non-participating 12th grade students.

Direct Admissions is also helping promote college attendance for historically excluded population in higher education. In looking at 2023-24 student, 54 percent of students identified as White, 13 percent identified as Hispanic or Latino, 13 percent identified as Black, 14 percent identified as Asian, and 5 percent identified as two or more races. Data also shows that 40 percent were eligible for free or reduced-price meal benefits. All these populations saw higher rates of FAFSA completion and enrollment at a Minnesota colleges compared to non-participating students with the same demographics.

OHE is working toward rolling out the program statewide in future years.

List of High Schools Participating in Direct Admissions for the 2025-26 Academic Year

Note: If location of the school is not apparent from the school’s name, location is indicated in parenthesis.

• 622 Online (North St. Paul, Maplewood, and Oakdale)
• ACCESS (Cottage Grove)
• AGAPE (Saint Paul)
• Aim Academy of Science and Technology (Minneapolis)
• ALC Gateway to College (Saint Paul)
• Apollo Senior High (Saint Cloud)
• Apple Valley High School
• Arcadia Charter School (Northfield)
• Austin Area Learning Center
• Austin High School - Austin
• Austin Online Academy
• Banaadir Academy (Minneapolis)
• Barnesville High School
• Beacon Alternative Learning Program (Bloomington)
• Becker High School
• Benson Area Learning Center
• Benson Secondary School
• Bigfork High School
• Blue Earth Area Secondary
• BlueSky Online School (Bloomington)
• Brandon-Evansville School District
• Breckenridge Area Learning Program
• Breckenridge High School
• Bridges Area Learning Center (Prior Lake)
• Buffalo High School
• Burnsville Alternative High School
• Burnsville High School
• Burnsville Virtual Academy
• Caledonia High School
• Camden High School
• Cannon Falls High School
• Career Pathways (Saint Paul)
• Centennial Area Learning Center (Blaine)
• Central MN Virtual Academy (Saint Cloud)
• Central Senior High (Saint Paul)
• Century High School (Rochester)
• Chanhassen High School
• Chaska High School
• Chisholm High School
• Choice Academy (Bloomington)
• CHOICE Technical Academy (Owatonna)
• Clearbrook-Gonvick High School
• Cloquet Area Learning Center
• Cloquet Senior High School
• Columbia Heights High School
• Community of Peace Academy (Saint Paul)
• Community School of Excellence (Saint Paul)
• Como Park Senior High (Saint Paul)
• Cook County High School
• Creative Arts Secondary School (Saint Paul)
• Crossroads Area Learning Center (Finlayson)
• CVA 100% Online (PASCAL) (Minneapolis)
• CVA Hybrid (Fusion) (Minneapolis)
• Delano High School
• Detroit Lakes High School
• Dover-Eyota High School
• Eagan High School
• Eagle Ridge Academy (Minnetonka)
• East Central Secondary (Finlayson)
• East Ridge High School (Woodbury)
• Eastview High School (Apple Valley)
• Eden Prairie High School
• Eden Prairie Online School
• Edina High School
• Edison High School
• Edvisions Off Campus (Henderson)
• El Colegio Charter School (Minneapolis)
• Ellsworth High School
• FAIR School for Art (Minneapolis)
• Faribault ALC
• Faribault High School
• Faribault Online
• Fertile Beltrami High School
• Forest Lake Area Community School
• Forest Lake Area High School
• Fridley High School
• GFW High School (Gibbon, Fairfax, and Winthrop)
• Glencoe Silver Lake High School
• Goodhue High School
• Gordon Parks High School (Saint Paul)
• Grand Rapids Area Learning Center
• Grand Rapids High School
• Great River School
• Guy Kokesh Area Learning Center (Onamia)
• Harding Senior High (Saint Paul)
• Hastings High School
• Hastings High School ALP
• Hastings High School HOA
• Hawley High School
• Henning High School
• Heritage Academy
• Highland Park Senior High
• Hill-Murray School (Maplewood)
• Hmong College Prep Academy (Saint Paul)
• Hope Community Academy (Saint Paul)
• Hopkins High School
• Hopkins Virtual EDU
• Houston High School
• Howard Lake Waverly Winsted ALP
• Howard Lake Waverly Winsted High School
• Humboldt High School (Saint Paul)
• Integrated Arts Academy (Chaska)
• Jefferson High School (Bloomington)
• John Marshall High School (Rochester)
• Johnson Senior High (Saint Paul)
• Jordan High School
• Kaleidoscope Charter School (Otsego)
• Katherine Johnson Education Center (Saint Cloud)
• Kennedy High School (Bloomington)
• Kennedy Secondary School (Fergus Falls)
• Kingsland Public Schools
• Kittson Central
• Knights Academy Alternative Learning Program
• LaCrescent Montessori and STEM School
• Lakes International Language Academy (Forest Lake)
• Le Sueur - Alternative Learning Cooperative (Hilltop)
• Le Sueur-Henderson High School
• LEAP High School (Saint Paul)
• Lewiston-Altura High School
• Lionsgate Academy (Minnetonka)
• Littlefork-Big Falls High School
• Mankato East High School
• Mankato West High School
• Marshall Area Learning Center
• Marshall High School
• Mayo High School (Rochester)
• McGregor Secondary
• McKinley - Alternative Learning Center (Waite Park)
• Medford High School
• Mesabi East High School
• Milaca Area Learning Center
• Milaca High School
• Milaca K12 Online
• Minnesota New Country School (Henderson)
• Minnesota Online High School (Saint Paul)
• Minnesota Virtual Academy High School (Roseville)
• Minnetonka Senior High
• Minnewaska Area High School
• MNSync Online (Rochester)
• Minnesota Virtual Academy Alternative Learning Program (Roseville)
• Montevideo High School
• Moorhead High School
• Mora ALC
• Mora High School
• Westonka High School (Minnetrista)
• MPS Online (Minneapolis)
• MTS Secondary (Minneapolis)
• Nashwauk-Keewatin High School
• New Code Academy High School (Bloomington)
• New London - Spicer High School
• New London Alternative School
• North Community High School (Minneapolis)
• North High School (Minneapolis)
• North Lakes Academy (Forest Lake)
• Northland High School (Remer)
• Northwest Passage High School (Coon Rapids)
• Onamia High School
• Open World Learning Secondary (Saint Paul)
• Ortonville High School
• Osakis High School
• PACT Secondary School (Ramsey)
• Park High School (Cottage Grove)
• Parkers Prairie Secondary
• Pequot Lakes High School
• Perpich Center For Arts (Golden Valley)
• Phoenix Learning Center (Buffalo)
• PiM Arts High School (Hopkins)
• Pipestone Area High School
• Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School
• Prairie Seeds Academy (Brooklyn Park)
• Prior Lake High School
• Proctor High School
• Red Lake High School
• Red Lake Senior High – Alternative Learning Center
• Red Rock Central High School
• Red Wing High School
• Red Wing High School
• Redwood Valley High School
• Richfield High School
• Riverway Learning Community (Winona)
• Robbinsdale Armstrong Senior High
• Robbinsdale Cooper High School
• Robbinsdale Virtual Academy
• Rochester Alternative Learning Center
• Rock Bend Alternative Learning Center (Saint Peter)
• Rockford High School
• Rogers High School
• Roosevelt High School (Minneapolis)
• Rosemount High School
• Roseville Area High School
• Rushford-Peterson Schools
• Saint Anthony Village High School
• Saint Paul Online High School
• Saint Peter High School
• Saints Academy (Saint Cloud)
• Saints Online (Saint Francis)
• School of Environmental Studies (Apple Valley)
• Shakopee High School
• Simley Alternative Learning Program (Inver Grove Heights)
• Simley High School (Inver Grove Heights)
• SLP Schools Online Secondary (Spring Lake Park)
• South High School (Minneapolis)
• South St. Paul High School
• South Washington Alternative High School (Cottage Grove)
• Southwest High School (Minneapolis)
• SoWashCo Online (Cottage Grove)
• Spring Grove High School
• Spring Lake Park High School
• St Croix Valley Area Learning Cntr.
• St. Francis High School
• St. Louis Park High School
• St. Michael Albertville High School
• Staples-Motley High School
• Stillwater Area High School
• Summit Learning Center (Minneapolis)
• Tartan High School (Oakdale)
• Technical High School (Saint Cloud)
• Terra Nova School (Buffalo)
• Tower View Alternative Learning Program (Red Wing)
• TrekNorth High School (Bemidji)
• Tri-City United (Montgomery, Le Center and Lonsdale)
• Two Rivers High School (Mendota Heights)
• Ubah Academy (Hopkins)
• United South Central (Wells)
• Venture Academy (Minneapolis)
• Verndale High School
• Waconia High School
• Wadena-Deer Creek Schools
• Waseca Area Learning Center
• Waseca Senior High School
• Washburn High School (Minneapolis)
• Washington Technology Senior High (Saint Paul)
• Watershed High School (Richfield)
• Wellstone International High School (Minneapolis)
• Westonka Alternative Learning Academy
• Wheaton Area High School
• White Bear Area Learning Center
• White Bear Lake High School
• Willmar Area Learning Center
• Willmar Senior High School
• Willow River High School
• Winona Senior High School
• Wolf Creek Online High School
• Woodbury High School
• Zimmerman High School
• Zumbrota-Mazeppa High School