It's no secret that the college admissions process is stressful. There's pressure to get good grades, participate in extracurricular activities, and write a powerful college essay to stand out from the crowd. 

To make it easier on students — and in turn, increase the applicant pool — many colleges and universities have become more flexible with their admissions requirements, particularly through the pandemic. Many went "test-optional," meaning that students can choose whether or not to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their application.

A growing number of schools are now also offering "direct admission" programs, in which students are admitted based on their high school GPA and coursework at on-the-spot decision days. As this trend is on the rise, competition for students is getting harder as students have more power in making their college decision.

As we’ve written about, it’s the school applying to the student rather than the other way around.

Regardless of what side of the fence you fall on — the side that’s embracing this shift or the one that thinks it has no place in academia — the changes will have wide-reaching effects on attracting students and meeting enrollment targets.

With more flexible application requirements comes more opportunity for students and schools. 

So what does this all mean for enrollment numbers in 2023? 

Overall, we predict that flexible admissions policies will be a net positive for schools fighting to keep (and even increase) their enrollment totals amidst a turbulent higher ed market. 

Test-optional and direct admission programs will become increasingly popular, making it easier for students to get into college. The trick will be aligning opportunity with demand.

Ideally, it’s the school that a student really wants to attend that offers an easier way in. Otherwise, an OK school will beat out a great school. Great schools will need to swiftly adopt more student-centered marketing experiences and streamlined application processes if they want to stay ahead.