The Great Admissions Redesign initiative

The Great Admissions Redesign initiative is sponsored by Lumina Foundation. This initiative supports states, systems, and institutions that are leading a national shift to make college admissions simpler, more proactive, and student-centered.

The Great Admissions Redesign Announcing the Great Admissions Redesign 2026 cohort Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GA) —Integrate financial aid, career exploration, and transcript movement into Georgia MATCH University of North Carolina System —E xpand NC College Connect and pursue integration of need-based financial aid estimates for students who receive offers through the direct admissions program University of Hawaii System —Implement a unified admissions portal with financial aid information, and expand advising Washington Student Achievement Council —L everage a unified platform for guaranteed admissions, state financial aid, and advising Idaho State University, College of Eastern Idaho, College of Southern Idaho —Implement co-enrollment through automatic admission and integrated data systems Minnesota Office of Higher Education —Plan for the redesign of MN’s state financial aid program aligned with Direct Admissions Minnesota Miami Dade College, Indian River State College, St.

Petersburg College —Design a scalable multi-term enrollment model Technical College System of Georgia —Pilot a streamlined credit for prior learning process tied to admissions Universities of Wisconsin —Clarify and improve college-ready math pathways to expand access to Direct Admit Wisconsin Tennessee Board of Regents —Plan for a streamlined admissions, financial aid, and matriculation process for dual enrollment students California State University system —Implement direct admissions, expand advising, and streamline transcript review through CaliforniaColleges.

edu Illinois Board of Higher Education —Implement direct admissions for high school seniors and transfer students Northern Arizona University & Arizona community colleges —Implement universal admissions Louisiana Board of Regents —Plan for simplified admissions for high school seniors and transfer students Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education —Align existing initiatives toward a simplified admissions process Washington Student Achievement Council —Plan for a proactive admissions process that ties in financial aid eligibility Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board —Develop direct admissions pathways using MyTexasFuture.

org What admissions redesign looks like “ YOU ARE COLLEGE MATERIAL ” “ 28 STATES, 2. 7 MILLION STUDENTS ” “ HOPE TO TAKE THE STRESS AWAY ” What if the path to college felt easier—and even joyful? Melanie Heath • April 8, 2026 Across the 2026 cohort, a clear pattern is emerging: admissions is becoming the connective tissue that links together critical milestones on the college-going journey.

Grantees are integrating admissions with financial aid, advising, transcript exchange, and even career exploration to create coordinated, end-to-end pathways for students. This shift from isolated improvements to aligned systems has the potential to remove longstanding barriers, reduce friction, and help many more students successfully enroll in college. Want to redesign admissions?

Explore insights and lessons from the Great Admissions Redesign, drawn from multiple years of work with states, systems, and institutions. These resources highlight what it takes to move from fragmented processes to more seamless, student-centered pathways into college.

View more related resources → Admissions Redesign at the State and System Levels Lessons Learned from Year One of the Great Admissions Redesign Using Data to Redesign Postsecondary Admissions Admissions Innovations at the State and System Level Experimental Evidence on “Direct Admissions” from Four States Great Admissions Redesign—2024 Convening Summary One Year Later: Lessons Learned Six lessons from the grantees’ redesign efforts Get an inside look at early activities spurring a rapidly expanding, nationwide admissions redesign movement.

As grantees turn their ideas into reality, inspiring stories and lessons emerge. We hope you will join them. Lessons from a year of college admissions redesign Hear insights from a nationwide movement.

The live podcast includes real stories from the field illuminating how change happens—and where it’s heading. Lessons learned and new directions In a conversation from August 22, 2025, leaders from Lumina, Education Strategy Group, Research for Action, California State University, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shared learnings and innovations from the first phase of the Great Admissions Redesign.

Great Admissions Redesign News stories on the Great Admissions Redesign challenge recently featured in Daily Lumina News. Get these and more higher-ed headlines delivered to your inbox . Rebuilding Trust In Higher Education Starts By Changing College Admissions As students seek clearer signals about whether college is worth it, whether they belong and whether they can afford it, new approaches to admissions could be the answer.

Rebuilding Trust in Higher Education Starts by Changing College Admissions As students seek clearer signals about whether college is worth it, whether they belong and whether they can afford it, new approaches to admissions could be the answer.

Postsecondary Admissions Redesign: A Toolkit for Policymakers and Practitioners More Great Admissions Redesign Articles Get the backstory on the first two rounds of Great Admissions Redesign funding. You can see the 2023 finalists, webinar, application questions, and more on the archive page. Applications were due October 6, 2023.

Winners were announced February 29, 2024. What are you looking for?