April 25, 2024

Local high school students now have a seamless, direct-admit path to college, thanks to a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bartholomew County School Corporation and Indiana University Columbus.

"We are excited to partner with BCSC 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 Columbus-area high school students,” said Reinhold Hill, IU Columbus Vice Chancellor and Dean.

The program is modeled after the seamless admission program introduced in September 2023 offering automatic admission to IU Indianapolis for Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) high school students who meet certain criteria.

“Our school corporation's mission is to develop expert learners by partnering with our community to invest in people,” said BCSC Superintendent Jim Roberts. “This recently approved agreement with IU Columbus is a perfect example of that. As a community partner, IU Columbus is investing in our graduates by removing obstacles to their enrollment into an outstanding postsecondary institution. We know that our community will greatly benefit from this investment."

High school seniors from Columbus East, Columbus North and Columbus Signature Academy New Tech graduating in the class of 2025 who meet admission criteria will receive a letter in the fall 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.

Additionally, there is still time for class of 2024 BCSC high school seniors who are interested in attending IU Columbus; these students will be notified in the coming weeks about their option to direct-admit if they meet the criteria. However, class of 2024 seniors don’t need to wait for their direct-admit letter; they can submit an online application anytime (currently at no cost) at columbus.iu.edu/admissions. Prospective students can also schedule a campus tour and connect with an advisor at columbus.iu.edu/admissions.