Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) heard the outcries of residents who said that applying to so many schools was prohibitively expensive. Paying to apply to a safety school after achieving high marks in school was a waste. For low-income residents who had successful children, sometimes even the supplication fee was just too much.
Now, through a cooperative between IUPUI and the Indiana Public Schools (IPS), they have created a program where, starting in Fall 2024, any student who has a 3.00 or above GPA can simply turn in a form and receive automatic enrollment for the next semester. IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson lauded the idea as one whose time had long since come. “By eliminating deadlines, application fees, or the need for a transcript, we hope this new initiative will give more students the chance to go to school right here in Indianapolis.”
Giving their students the most straightforward path towards continuing their education is something that should have come decades ago. It shows a useful side of automation and encourages students to think locally and stay in the state for an already superior education. As an extra initiative from them, eligible students will receive notice by postcard and an email from IUPUI as well.
While there have been changes at other schools to account for grades after affirmative action on admissions was dropped, they have changed their admissions programs. At Johns Hopkins, essays were changed from work and education-based to identity-based. Even Harvard made changes, now going from a single optional and open-ended essay to a requirement of five short essays. These kinds of shifts have been their snap response to a lost social justice rubber-stamping of applications based on things like race, sex, or origin.
