Statewide event aims to help students enroll in college

This fall, the state of Idaho is launching a new initiative called Direct Admissions to encourage students to continue their education after graduating high school.

In support of this initiative, on Tuesday the University of Idaho will hold enrollment events in 43 locations across the state. Called Enroll Idaho, these events welcome high school juniors and seniors, their families and friends and high school officials to attend an informational session about the value of higher education, how to pay for college, as well as the programs offered by UI.

The Kootenai County event is 7 p.m. at the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene, 1031 N. Academic Way, Coeur d’Alene.

The number of Idaho residents who continue their education beyond high school is well below national averages. To combat this trend, in 2010 the Idaho State Board of Education set a goal that 60 percent of Idaho citizens between ages 25-34 will have a postsecondary education degree or certificate by 2020. In support of this idea, UI President Chuck Staben proposed a direct admissions initiative that would help simplify the process for getting into college for Idaho’s high school students during an SBOE meeting last summer.

The state board of education approved the Direct Admissions initiative last August. This new plan alerts all Idaho high school seniors with appropriate high school GPAs and SAT scores that they have been conditionally admitted to any of the state’s eight postsecondary institutions. Students not meeting the established benchmark will be conditionally admitted to Idaho’s six community and technical colleges.

“Direct Admissions changes the conversation from ‘Should I go to college?’ to ‘Where should I go to college?’” Staben said. “We want every college-ready student to know early in his or her senior year of high school, ‘Yes, you can go.’”

Statistics show that people with postsecondary education are likely to earn $22,000 more per year, or $1 million more over a lifetime, than those who stop at a high school diploma. Two-thirds of all jobs in the U.S. will require education beyond high school by 2025.

UI will hold an additional Enroll Idaho event on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Lakeside High School, 1150 E St., Plummer. For a complete list of Enroll Idaho locations, go to www.uidaho.edu/enrollidaho.