CONCORD, N.H. — The University of New Hampshire (UNH) and Plymouth State University (PSU) today announced a pilot program with Niche Direct Admissions® for the 2024-25 admissions year. Some high school seniors throughout New Hampshire, and across the country, who meet the criteria set by these institutions for admission and merit scholarships can now receive immediate acceptance based solely on their Niche Profile.    

Niche, the country's leading platform connecting students with colleges, recently launched its 2025 direct admissions program for high school seniors. The company is revolutionizing the college admissions landscape by modernizing the way students and families choose their best-fit colleges, offering real-time acceptance and upfront scholarship offers. Now in its fourth consecutive cycle, Niche Direct Admissions has over 110 college and university partners.

“UNH is committed to making it easier for students and their families to access higher education and to navigate the admissions process,” said Kimberly DeRego, vice provost of enrollment management at UNH. “Students admitted via the Niche program are held to the same standards as any other student we welcome; however, they now have a quicker, more straightforward path to enrollment.”

This is the first time UNH and PSU, part of the University System of New Hampshire, will offer direct admissions. Across the country, direct admissions programs have expanded rapidly over the past five years, as universities seek to broaden access, boost enrollment and change the narrative of higher education from one of scarcity to one of opportunity. According to Niche survey data, 80% of last year’s high school seniors reported they'd be more interested in a college that offers acceptance without a traditional application. That trend continues for rising seniors in the class of 2025.   

“Niche was easy to adopt and has complemented our existing strategies, providing us with an additional source of enrollment at a time of rapid change within the industry,” said Joanne Landers, Ph.D., vice president of enrollment management and communications at Plymouth State University. “This new resource will enable us to further streamline our admissions process and extend the PSU experience to a broader audience.”

Research from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University noted that “complexity and uncertainty in the college application process contribute to longstanding racial and socioeconomic disparities in enrollment.” While the study found that direct admissions programs increased the number of college applications overall, the increases were greater for underrepresented minority, first-generation and low-income students.

With Niche Direct Admissions, institutions set criteria for acceptance that are unique to their college or university. Meanwhile, students create an online profile and explore colleges based on a myriad of factors. In real time, qualified students will see if they have been accepted, receive a merit scholarship offer and access detailed information about the institution along with the option to initiate the enrollment process. These are offers from colleges the student expressed interest in, as well as similar ones they qualify for and may want to consider.

“It’s wonderful to see forward-thinking schools, such as our friends in New Hampshire, start to meet today’s students where they are by providing them and their families with the immediacy and transparency they’ve come to expect elsewhere in their lives,” said Luke Skurman, founder and CEO of Niche. “Not only is it beneficial to the students, but the ROI for the colleges checks out as well. The 2024 Niche Direct Admissions cycle generated an estimated first-year net tuition revenue of nearly $100 million, accounting for 9% of our partner institutions’ deposits on average, with some as high as 30%.”

Niche’s student-first approach removes much of the friction associated with the traditional college admissions process, such as letters of recommendation or personal essays. Niche Direct Admissions is completely free for students and open to all high school seniors, allowing them to receive acceptance and scholarships to colleges both in their home state and elsewhere. Students can still apply to PSU and UNH via the traditional application process.

UNH and PSU are now actively offering Niche Direct Admissions to the high school class of 2025. High school underclassmen who create a Niche Profile will automatically be eligible for direct admissions offers during their senior year. Over a million high school seniors create a Niche Profile each year, which is roughly one out of every two college-bound seniors. 

PRESS CONTACTS

UNH: Tania deLuzuriaga, Executive Director of Public Relations

tania.deluzuriaga@unh.edu

PSU: Denise Panyik-Dale, Director of Communications and Marketing

denise.panyikdale@plymouth.edu

Niche: Nick Liberati, Director of Public Relations

nick.liberati@niche.com

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE:

The University of New Hampshire inspires innovation and transforms lives in our state, nation and world. Nearly 16,000 students from 50 states and 87 countries engage with an award-winning faculty in top-ranked programs in business, engineering, law, health and human services, liberal arts and the sciences across more than 200 programs of study. A Carnegie Classification R1 institution, UNH partners with NASA, NOAA, NSF, and NIH, and received over $210 million in competitive external funding in FY23 to further explore and define the frontiers of land, sea and space.

ABOUT PLYMOUTH STATE UNIVERSITY:

Established in 1871, Plymouth State University serves the state of New Hampshire and the world beyond by transforming our students through advanced practices where engaged learning produces well-educated undergraduates, and by providing graduate education that deepens and advances knowledge and enhances professional development. The Plymouth State Cluster Learning Model emphasizes open, integrative, and project-based experiences. With distinction, we connect with community and business partners for economic development, technological advances, healthier living, and cultural enrichment with a special commitment of service to the North Country and Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

ABOUT NICHE:

Niche is changing how colleges connect with students and build their future classes. As the trusted partner to hundreds of colleges, Niche is helping higher education institutions across the country streamline operations, forge genuine connections with students and achieve their enrollment targets. Our nationally recognized Niche Direct Admissions® program enables colleges to proactively accept qualified students based on their Niche Profile alone. Through real-time acceptance and scholarship opportunities, Niche Direct Admissions offers a modern experience for today’s students, resulting in more enrollments for college admissions teams. Learn more about how over 110 institutions are already leveraging Niche Direct Admissions.