INDIANAPOLIS — More Indianapolis Public Schools graduates are choosing higher education. College enrollment rates are rising across the district.
WATCH FULL STORY BELOW
“Senior year, I was confused on where I wanted to go. I didn’t really know where I wanted to go, so I applied to as many colleges as I could," Arsenal Tech High School alum Elizabeth Sanchez said.
For first-generation college students like Sanchez, navigating the college application process can be difficult.
“I didn’t have anyone close to me that went to college, and so I had to be the one to put in the effort," she said.
That’s where the IU Indianapolis Seamless Admissions initiative came in.
“To have at least one school that I know I was directly admitted that was a huge help," Sanchez said.
The initiative creates a direct, barrier-free pathway to IU Indianapolis for qualifying local high school seniors.
Students need a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to be eligible.
There’s no application fee or transcripts required at the time of admission.
“They don’t have to do a long application. They fill out one link with general information about themselves, and then IU Indy takes it on from there," IPS Post Secondary Readiness Coordinator Courtney Thomas said.
Thomas works in the IPS Future Center, which gives students a place to figure out what comes after graduation.
“IPS has decided to prioritize post-secondary readiness because our students are graduating, we just had a record number of graduates. We also want to make sure they’re ready for their futures," Thomas said.
Across all four IPS district-managed high schools, the admissions cycle saw dramatic growth in 2025.
Applications increased by 38%, admissions by nearly 55% and enrollment by 44%.
“I think what it’s saying is that our students want to enroll and our students want to take that next step for their futures," she said.
Sanchez is enjoying her time at IUI so far.
She’s joined the Student Activities Programming Board and plans to declare an early education major.
“Making friends wasn’t that hard because of IU groups, but I’m continuing to put myself out there, joining clubs," she said.
—
Nico Pennisi is the In Your Community reporter for Downtown Indy. He joined WRTV in October 2022. His passion has always been telling the stories of people who often get overlooked. Share your story ideas and important issues with Nico by emailing him at nico.pennisi@wrtv.com.
