Indiana University Indianapolis officially launches on July 1. More than 150 IPS students have enrolled at the new campus through the seamless admission program.
(Tyler Carrell, Indiana University)
Even more high schoolers in Indianapolis Public Schools will be automatically admitted to Indiana University Indianapolis as the seamless admission program expands.
IU announced it will automatically admit IPS seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA to its new Indianapolis campus. PJ Woolston, vice chancellor of enrollment management at IU Indianapolis, said the seamless admission program was designed to make enrollment easier and remove any obstacles to applying to college.
As of May 13, 158 students had been admitted to IU through the program.
“We wanted to make sure that we were providing that opportunity for the students who live right here, who live in the shadow of IU Indianapolis,” Woolston said. “We want them to be part of this campus, and this is really about making that easy for them.”
The seamless admission pilot program was officially created last fall with the four largest IPS high schools. Woolston said IU and IPS worked this past semester to add new schools.
The seamless admission program now includes:
Arsenal Tech High School
George Washington High School
Crispus Attucks High School
Shortridge High Schools
Christel House Schools
Watanabe Manual High School
Herron High School
Herron-Riverside High School
Hope Academy High School
KIPP Indy Legacy High School
Phalen Leadership Academy
Purdue Polytechnic High School Englewood
Purdue Polytechnic High School North
“Whether you're in an innovation school, if you're in a district-managed school — it doesn't matter,” Woolston said. “If you go to an IPS High School, you will be considered for seamless admissions and admitted to IU Indianapolis.”
Students in the original four high schools — Tech, Washington, Crispus Attucks and Shortridge — qualify for admission in fall 2024. Students attending schools in the new wave of additions will be admitted in fall 2025.
Qualifying students do not need to fill out an application or pay an application fee, Woolston said. Instead they will be notified to complete a short form about their academic interests and past courses. If students don’t meet certain requirements for their preferred program or major, he said they will still be admitted to the campus.
IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said the expansion is a “transformative moment in the educational journey for all of our students and families.”
“We know that this initiative holds the potential to significantly enhance the numbers of IPS graduates attending colleges or universities,” Johnson said.
Woolston said IU Indianapolis' relationship with IPS created a template for expansion, and Chancellor Latha Ramchaund wants to see seamless admissions for all Indianapolis high schools.
“If you think about where we're headed, it's ambitious, but that's our goal,” Woolston said. “We're going to be working with all high schools over the course of this next year to see if we can get this in place for every Indianapolis High School.”
Indianapolis — Indiana’s largest city — holds a third of the state’s population.
The city supports businesses, art, culture, entertainment and sports, Woolston said. He said students can start building networks early, and after they graduate, they have options in Indianapolis or they can take home what they learn. That attracts students all over the state and country, but IU Indianapolis attracts more central Indiana students than from anywhere else. Many of them have already spent time on IU’s campus, visit the campus through summer programs or tour it in high school.
Woolston said the admissions team has heard moving stories from counselors and students who are impacted by the program.
“We heard from those students that, ‘Actually, I wasn't even going to go to college,’ or ‘I'd been thinking about it, but probably wasn't going to go to college. And now because I've been accepted, I am going to go,’” Woolston said. “So we know it had an impact.”
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright.
