Indiana University Columbus has expanded its admission simplification program to three Johnson County school districts.
The Seamless Pathway program is a direct-admit path to college for students that was introduced earlier this year for students in the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation. It has now grown to include the class of 2025 high school seniors from 11 more school districts, IU Columbus announced in a news release Monday.
Johnson County schools taking part include Edinburgh Community High School, Franklin Community High School and Whiteland Community High School. Other schools and districts joining include Batesville High School, Columbus Christian, Flatrock-Hawcreek School Corp., Greensburg Community High School, Hauser Senior High School, Jennings County High School, Seymour High School and Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour.
IU Columbus has entered into a memorandum of understanding with each of these school districts to help simplify and demystify the application and admissions process for college-going seniors who meet the admissions requirements, university officials say.
Students who meet the admissions criteria will receive a letter telling them they are eligible to be admitted to IU Columbus and directing them to complete a brief form to accept their admission. These students will not need to complete a traditional college application, nor will they need to request their high school transcripts or pay any fee, according to the news release.
The IU Columbus admissions team will also host special events and sessions at the schools to explain the next steps to enrolling, share resources on paying for college and provide information on the IU undergraduate degrees attainable in Columbus. Seamless Pathway students will also enjoy social activities, as well as ongoing support services throughout their college experience, university officials say.
“We are excited to partner with our neighboring school districts on direct admission of eligible students as part of our efforts to increase the college-going rate in our region, while also helping remove real and perceived barriers to higher education among high school students in South Central Indiana,” said Reinhold Hill, IU Columbus Vice Chancellor and Dean, in the news release.
The total number of schools participating in the program is now 14, including Columbus East, Columbus North, Columbus Signature Academy and Brownstown High School.
This initiative is modeled after an IU Indianapolis program offering automatic admission to Indianapolis Public Schools high school students who meet certain criteria, which was introduced in September 2023.
To learn more about the IU Columbus Seamless Pathway program, visit go.iu.edu/columbus-seamless-pathway.
