Colorful arrows on a black background curving and intersecting in various directions.

Reimagining Access

From a Single Gate to Multiple On-Ramps

How Institutions Are Redefining Admissions Pathways

The Expanding Universal On-Ramps Initiative landscape assessment found that institutions are using a diverse set of approaches to alternative admissions. Some are refining established models such as bridge and transition programs, community college transfer agreements, and credit for prior learning (CPL). Others are implementing newer practices like, competency-based education, test-optional policies and open-access, credit-bearing online courses.

Together, these models signal a shift from a single, selective “front door” to a network of multiple on-ramps that meet students where they are and recognize learning in multiple forms. Institutions are particularly focused on serving adult and nontraditional learners, building flexible pathways, and fostering cross-institutional collaboration that balances innovation with mission alignment.

Turning Pathways into Progress

Expanding alternative admissions pathways is not simply about creating new routes into college. It is about transforming how institutions define readiness, recognize learning, and sustain student success. When designed and scaled thoughtfully, alternative admissions pathways can build a stronger foundation for equity, persistence, and lifelong learning, ensuring that every learner not only has a way in, but also a clear path through to graduation.

Each admissions pathway described in the previous table reflects a deliberate effort to align institutional mission with the realities of today’s diverse learners. The challenge ahead lies in moving from individual institutional efforts to a more sustainable system of pathways that address access and completion gaps across the country. Looking across these multiple pathways, three archetypes have emerged that reflect complementary strategies for expanding participation while providing targeted academic and student supports to ensure learners are prepared for success.

Exploring Pathways and Designing Pilots

During the UDI-facilitated workshops, Co-Design Partners engaged in a structured, collaborative process to design their own Alternative Admission Pathway pilots that responded directly to the needs of the student populations they serve. Rather than applying a single model across institutions, the universities examined their own admissions policies, academic practices, and equity gaps to identify where traditional processes created unnecessary barriers to access, persistence, or completion.

During this process, the Co-Design Partners identified pain points experienced by students and explored innovative approaches to admissions and re-entry. The resulting pilots reflected distinct institutional contexts, missions, and learner demographics, while sharing a common commitment to expanding access, supporting student success, and maintaining academic quality. The following examples illustrate how three of the participating universities operationalized these archetypes to create scalable, equitable pathways that better support learners who are often underserved by traditional admissions models.

Open-Access, Credit-Bearing Courses

An Innovative Pathway to Performance-based Admission

Among the most innovative developments in alternative admissions is the rise of open-access, credit-bearing courses. These are online learning opportunities that allow anyone, anywhere, to earn low-cost university credit and demonstrate college readiness before formal admission. Offered through platforms such as Coursera, edX, or institution-hosted programs like Arizona State University’s Earned Admission, these courses expand the front door to higher education by removing traditional barriers such as GPA thresholds, transcripts, and application requirements.

Originally designed to serve nontraditional learners, working adults, and globally distributed students, open-access courses combine academic rigor with flexibility and affordability. More than a technological advancement, they represent a new philosophy of access and equity—one that measures potential through demonstrated learning rather than prequalification.

Across U.S. higher education, institutions are beginning to experiment with open-access, credit-bearing coursework as a performance-based pathway to admission. Some universities allow prospective students to enroll in for-credit courses as a way to demonstrate readiness, with successful completion leading to conditional or full admission. Others are partnering with third-party platforms to reach new audiences of adult and international learners, while a growing number are developing institution-hosted programs that mirror the Earned Admission model pioneered by ASU.

9,000+

previously inadmissible learners have been admitted to ASU through the Earned Admission pathway to date. Most learners earn their admission within one year of starting the pathway. Admission through the pathway has increased rapidly (average 25% YoY growth since 2023).

75%

of learners admitted through the Earned Admission pathway have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, compared to 45% of all ASU Online students.

81%

The average term-to-term retention rate for Earned Admission learners once admitted, comparable to to the average retention rate for all other ASU Online undergraduate students.

1,140

ASU graduates began their journey at the university through the Earned Admission pathway.

Explore the Report

Report Overview Executive Summary Advancing Broad-Based Admissions in Higher Education From a Single Gate to Multiple On-Ramps Navigating Tensions and Building Readiness