Harrison District 2 students’ path to higher education just got clearer.

Building off their previous programs to make college more accessible to graduates, Pikes Peak State College, CSU-Pueblo and D-2 announced Monday a direct admissions program for all graduates in the district starting with the class of 2024.

Seniors from Harrison High School, Sierra High School, Career Readiness Academy and Aspire Online Academy will all now be accepted to either college without needing to go through the traditional application process.

The program is the latest partnership between D-2 and PPSC that includes the D-2 Promise Program, a scholarship offered to qualifying graduates starting with the class of 2020. The program covers tuition, fees and textbooks for up to three years or 60 credits for students remaining in good academic standing.

“The Direct Admissions program is a game-changer for our students. It not only streamlines the college admission process but also provides financial support through the Promise Programs,” D-2 superintendent Dr. Wendy Birhanzel said in a joint press release. “This initiative empowers our graduates to dream big and achieve their goals, knowing they have the backing of their community and local institutions.”

Eligible students for PPSC need only to be a D-2 high school graduate and have attended one of its high schools for one year. Upon graduating, they also need to enroll, apply for FAFSA and CAFSA financial aid and utilize the College Opportunity Fund.

Since its introduction, the program has expanded its eligibility by eliminating the 2.5 GPA minimum requirement and increasing the enrollment window from 12 to 16 months after graduating.

The program was an immediate success, according to PPCS Senior Director of Admissions and Recruitment Kevin Hudgens, with the number of graduates matriculating to the college increasing by 50% in the first year.

The idea for a direct admission program started shortly after the start of the D-2 Promise to further expand access to higher education by smoothing out processes not related to cost.

Hudgens said that students in the past have gotten intimidated and dissuaded by the application process from submitting written tests, fees, letters of recommendation to the fear of getting rejected by a school.

“Our goal is to end the idea of students thinking they’ll never go to college or that they’re not college material,” he said. “All D-2 students are PPSC students.”

Through their partnership with D-2, PPSC is provided general information about incoming graduates to circumvent the traditional application process and waiting period for acceptance. Students are able to opt out of this information being shared with the college, but if they want to enroll an account will automatically be created for them at PPSC. From there, the incoming students will simply have to select a major to enroll in.

For eligibility to CSU-Pueblo, D-2 students must graduate with a minimum 2.3 GPA. Through the Colorado Promise program, any tuition expenses not addressed by other financial aid are covered for up to four years for first-year students and two years for transfer students that maintain a 3.0 GPA. Eligible students must enroll full-time each semester and be a Colorado resident, a first-time college student or a transfer student with a gross family income of up to $70,000.

Last Fall, Regis University announced their partnership with Common App for direct admission to help close its equity gap for low- and middle-income students accessing postsecondary opportunities by 2030. Common App is a non-profit that helps provide direct admission to students who create an online account and provide enough academic information before completing all their open applications.

Hudgens hopes to see direct admissions programs to continue to expand to other school districts with their own promise programs like Colorado Springs District 11 and more districts in general.

Given the previous success PPSC has experienced through recent programs and partnerships, Hudgens doesn’t anticipate a massive leap in enrollment through this latest one. Rather, he hopes to see a gradual increase in the years to come as students begin to consider college at earlier ages who may not have thought it attainable before.

“The hope is that people begin to see this as a natural next step in their education,” Hudgens said. “We want this to be as natural of a transition as you would go from 8th grade to 9th grade.”