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January 5, 2026
January Program Tasks
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Priority: Please continue to promote the program to generate student responses. Continue to use your tool’s roster to encourage students to take advantage of the program through their unique survey and connecting with colleges. Another round of survey resending will start mid-month.
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Priority: Invoices can be sent to our agency if data has been received and processed. More information on how to do so below. Please complete this step immediately.
- Per your local process, student transcripts can be sent to their colleges of requested proactive admissions. More details below.
- Data and metrics are found below. Our new program data dashboard is also due out soon.
- Be on the lookout for the program’s overall fulfillment survey soon.
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Optional: Refer any new high school partners to Direct Admissions coordinator. See referral channels below. The inquiry form and application are both live.
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Optional: Plan to attend the monthly Just-in-time High School Mentor Check-in session on the morning of Wednesday, January 14th.
Program updates for the month follow:
Survey Email Resends This Month
To generate more program engagement, we will be sending another round of emails with student surveys to non-responders starting mid-month. In the next week or so, please double-check your whitelisting (Domains to Whitelist (2025-2026).xlsx - Google Sheets) and your schools ability to receive batch emails. The email to student school email inboxes comes from “MN_OHE - Do Not Reply”, or ohe@state.mn.us. Your program Tool (Direct Admissions) can support these efforts, too. Multiple users from a high school can have access to the roster, and it is primarily meant for individuals who work most closely with students on the college search process and for folks who might evaluate macro level college-access data. User view access is explained in more detail on the bottom of the High School Staff Resource Guide page. You can also use the resources at the Direct Admissions High School Marketing Resources page to promote the program to students, as well as share the Direct Admissions Student Center with them to explain the steps.
Invoicing
Once your data has been received by the agency, you are able to invoice per your contract for program funds. More on invoicing can be found at the following toolkit resource: When and How do I Invoice OHE
Reminder
Be sure to be reminding students about sending along their transcripts to colleges they’ve requested proactive admissions to. Your local process does not need to change, and this is another possible use of your roster in the Tool. To get a better sense of when colleges prefer receiving this important document, please consult the toolkit resource: Transcript Send Timeline Table
Data Update
Currently, we have 232 of the 257 participating high schools whose data is received. This is 90% of the program’s participating high schools. To date, we have had 34,356 surveys sent with 4,237 students requesting proactive admission (~12%). Part two of the new program tool will also launch this month, the program-level data dashboard. While your portal allows you access to your individual high school roster and student level data, this next phase is a comprehensive program dashboard for public reporting and accountability. Please stay tuned for a press release!
Subcommittees for Spring
We have a few subcommittees that will be convened this spring. The time commitment will be two, one-hour hour meetings a month, March through May, and will only require your content knowledge expertise. Please email Aaron directly if one of the below is of particular interest to you or you would like to contribute your expertise:
- High school transcripts and streamlining the process in relation to the program.
- Younger learner marketing and thinking through print pieces for a middle school audience
- Data & technology and streamlining technology in relation to the program.
Direct Admissions Expansion
Program outreach for new high schools has started, and we’d appreciate your help in amplifying the program to any high schools in your nearby community who are not current participants. If there are any high schools or districts you know of whom can be contacted to participate, please don’t hesitate to let Aaron know via email. Our Direct Admissions High School Interest Form can also be shared. The application is available by request. So far we have 15 applicants for the fall ’26 cohort and another 29 inquiries.
If you are interested in adding additional schools within the district, such as an ALC or Online High School, please also reach out to Aaron as that intake process is ready to go, too. There is a modified application in this instance, available by request.
Monthly Check-ins
Our optional Direct Admissions' “High School Mentor Meet-ups and Community of Practice” gathering is on the morning of January 14th from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
The meeting ID and passcode is as follows:
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 277 387 226 787 3
Passcode: fJ3eV2yH
The legislative report writing is underway as we begin prepping for the legislative session. This group will be among the first to learn of our findings upon completion: stay tuned! In addition to the report, the annual program satisfaction survey is due out in late January or early February to gauge program efforts, areas for improvement, and more. This survey is much leveraged resource on program design and development, so if you have any suggested questions or thoughts for items worth including, please let me know.
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