Effective this year, Oregon Tech is launching a direct admission program for high school students who take Oregon Tech credit through their school. Dual credit students will not be required to apply separately for admission to the university, making the admission process simpler and quicker.
Dual credit refers to a program where students enroll in both high school and Oregon Tech college courses simultaneously. Oregon Tech dual credit courses are taught at a student’s high school. High schools work directly with Oregon Tech to qualify their teachers and determine course offerings. Currently, Oregon Tech has dual credit courses with 82 high schools in Oregon, serving over 5,000 students annually.
Direct admission programs are becoming more common across the country as colleges innovate to lower stress, uncertainty, and costs associated with college admissions. Oregon Tech was an early adopter of direct admission in Oregon, starting its first direct admission program nearly four years ago. Oregon Tech is committed to streamlining the admission process, especially for students who already have a relationship with the university through the dual credit program. Through the direct admission program, high school seniors who are taking Oregon Tech dual credit courses are automatically evaluated for admission to the university.
“These students and their schools have already completed the paperwork for college credit courses, and it helps the student to not require them to repeat that,” said Carleen Drago Starr, Director of Educational Partnerships & Outreach (EPO). “This program provides a simpler, more straightforward process for being admitted to college. It takes the guesswork out of the college admission process.”
Oregon Tech’s EPO collaborated with the Office of Admissions to develop the new process.
“This is the third direct admission program Oregon Tech has brought on since 2022,” said Josephine Ness, Director of Admissions. “We started as a beta partner with the Niche Direct Admission program, expanded into Common App Direct Admission, and now we’ve launched our own home-grown direct admission program for dual credit students. We aspire to expand our direct admission programs to include not just students participating in Niche, Common App, or dual credit, but to students across the state who have great potential but need that extra support and reassurance that they are a great fit for higher education.”
Students eligible for direct admission to Oregon Tech will hear from an Oregon Tech Admissions Counselor with information about their offer and next steps. They can also apply on their own at oit.edu/apply. For any questions about the Dual Credit Direct Admission program, please contact the Office of Admissions at oit@oit.edu or 541-885-1150.
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