by Jon Marcus, The Hechinger Report
February 3, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS — Kathy Cabrera Guaman not solely survived the nail-biting technique of making use of to school; she received into three.
However the celebrations have been short-lived. Now she was sitting somberly and absorbing how a lot work comes after that triumphant second of acceptance and earlier than she units foot in a classroom within the fall.
For incoming college students at most schools and universities, this has lengthy meant slogging by means of countless and sophisticated steps they’re left totally on their very own to determine — monetary support, loans, majors, placement exams, class registration, housing, roommates, textbooks, a meal plan, medical insurance, public transportation, immunizations.
That’s what introduced Guaman to a convention room within the admissions workplaces of Augsburg College, the place she’s determined to enroll and the place admissions director Stacy Severson was strolling her by means of these logistics.
Severson defined what Guaman’s monetary support would and wouldn’t cowl, when to register for lessons, the place to search for outdoors scholarships — even which specific bus to take to the campus if she chooses to commute.
The assist Severson was providing is a part of a surprisingly novel strategy now being rolled out nationwide to attempt not solely to make the method of admission easier, however to enlist admissions officers as guides for college students navigating the equally complicated course of that confronts them after that.
As generations of candidates to school have skilled, this isn’t the standard function of admissions counselors, who’ve traditionally been sealed off behind closed doorways and never out there to assist with any of these items — gatekeepers in a course of seemingly meant to emphasise the unique nature of their establishments.
Associated: A development schools may not need candidates to note: It’s changing into simpler to get in
However as college enrollment falls and Individuals more and more query the returns on a school schooling, as soon as intimidating admissions workplaces are getting concerned in ensuring accepted college students have what they should truly present up.
“I used to be afraid to ask for assist,” mentioned Guaman, a high-scoring scholar at a highschool within the Minneapolis suburb of Apple Valley who would be the first in her household to go to school. Till Severson reached out, “I had no thought what I used to be doing in any respect. It was scary.”
What’s been occurring at Augsburg, known as admissions success teaching, might be rolled out nationwide this yr to an preliminary 10 to fifteen further colleges by means of a pilot program managed by the Nationwide Affiliation for School Admission Counseling, or NACAC, as a part of what it calls a “reimagining” of the admissions course of.
“It’s actually a change of the admissions officer job,” mentioned Paul Pribbenow, Augsburg’s president, in his workplace on the non-public campus of about 2,400 undergraduates. “In 5 years, the good majority of establishments might be doing a little model of this.”
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That’s largely as a result of the market has modified a lot. Beginning within the fall, the variety of 18-year-old potential first-year school college students will start a protracted decline. The proportion of highschool graduates going instantly to school can also be manner down, from a peak of 70 % in 2016 to 62 % in 2022, the latest yr for which the determine is offered from the U.S. Division of Training. And the proportion of accepted college students who truly enroll — known as, by admissions professionals, the “yield” — has been slipping, in response to NACAC.
These dramatic shifts are pushing up acceptance charges — and altering the standoffish tradition of admission.
“Some admissions workplaces don’t even submit their admissions officers’ names or contact data,” mentioned Erwin Hesse, director of NACAC’s new Middle for Innovation in School Admission. “There’s this mysterious handoff that occurs, when there’s a bunch of scholars who nonetheless haven’t determined whether or not they’re coming to your school, and the one reply that you’ve for them is, ‘We’ve already admitted you. Go speak to your tutorial adviser.’ ”
The admissions course of, mentioned Hesse, a former admissions officer himself, “feels prefer it’s overwhelming for no purpose. We’re anticipating manner an excessive amount of of 17-year-olds.” Now, he mentioned, “everyone seems to be on board to make it easier, and to take away as many boundaries as attainable.”
Many universities have adopted “direct admission,” by which college students who meet sure tutorial necessities are accepted with out even making use of. Greater than 400,000 college students have been supplied direct admission for the final tutorial yr, in response to the Nationwide School Attainment Community.
In the meantime, colleges together with Virginia Tech are beginning to use synthetic intelligence to assist learn undergraduate admissions essays.
Each of those developments are releasing up time for once-invisible admissions officers to return out of their workplaces and assist the scholars they’ve accepted comply with by means of and enroll. At Augsburg, for instance, direct admission has cleared the equal of a collective 48 hours every week off admissions officers’ schedules, mentioned Robert Gould, vp for strategic enrollment administration.
The scope of the tradition shift that’s occurring is symbolized by the slogan the college has hooked up to this work. As a substitute of making use of to Augsburg, it tells college students, “Augsburg Applies to You.”
That doesn’t simply imply serving to them enroll at Augsburg. In teaching classes on the identical day Kathy Cabrera Guaman was assembly with admissions director Stacy Severson, admissions counselors inspired some accepted college students to return and take a second take a look at different schools they have been contemplating, to make certain of their selections.
“Positively go go to once more,” one, Phil Sauer, advised highschool senior Kaden Sheldon, who was nonetheless selecting between one other college and Augsburg. “Then simply work out what’s finest for you.”
Wherever college students go, mentioned Gould, that form of benevolence can depart them with impression of Augsburg they could share with college-bound classmates and youthful siblings.
Associated: Schools ease the dreaded admissions course of as the provision of candidates declines
“Deeper relationships create demand,” Gould mentioned. “They work as a recruitment instrument.”
At a presentation on the campus on a subzero Minnesota morning, the place accepted and potential college students in hoodies or sportcoats yawned and stretched whereas their mother and father guzzled espresso and picked at miniature breakfast pastries, there seemed to be as a lot goodwill for Augsburg as there have been complaints concerning the therapy individuals had obtained from the admissions workplaces at different universities and schools. Dad and mom and college students additionally universally bemoaned the shortage of assist they received from highschool school counselors, who deal with caseloads averaging 405 college students apiece, in response to NACAC.
By comparability, “these guys have been very pleasant,” Barbara Younger mentioned of the admissions officers at Augsburg, the place she had come along with her daughter, Kealy, a highschool junior.
At Augsburg, “the very first thing that occurred is that the admissions officer came to visit and launched herself, and that has not occurred wherever else,” mentioned Kristen Campos of Chicago, who was visiting the college along with her husband and their scholar.
When their older kids went by means of the identical course of at an enormous state college, Campos mentioned disdainfully, the admissions workplace doorways have been closed to them. “We by no means spoke to an admissions officer,” she mentioned.
Schools and universities can solely profit by making time to ease candidates’ doubts, mentioned Pribbenow, the president of Augsburg.
“There are an entire lot of scholars that might come to you when you would assist them see themselves at your college,” he mentioned.
Associated: The variety of 18-year-olds is about to drop sharply, packing a wallop for schools — and the economic system
Again at Augsburg’s workplace of admissions, Severson was wrapping up her time with Guaman.
They talked about the right way to discover some classmates who would possibly wish to carpool to the campus as soon as college begins, and break up the $195-per-semester parking price. That class registration for the autumn begins in Could. Which days and at what hours to schedule lessons, if Guaman decides to proceed to work part-time. How one in all her employers, a fast-food chain, affords scholarships to its staff that might assist her pay for textbooks and different prices. Whether or not to take out scholar loans.
As they wrapped up, Severson made positive Guaman had her e mail deal with and quantity.
“Bear in mind, I’m only a telephone name or textual content or e mail away. You gained’t be rid of me but,” she mentioned. “I’m right here that will help you.”
Contact author Jon Marcus at 212-678-7556, jmarcus@hechingerreport.org or jpm.82 on Sign.
This story about school admission was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, unbiased information group centered on inequality and innovation in schooling. Join for our increased schooling e-newsletter.
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