Starting this fall, the state will preapprove eligible high school seniors to state universities, under a plan passed by the State Board of Education last week.

Under the Direct Admissions plan, the state will send out acceptance letters to qualified students, and to the students’ parents.

The letters will go to students with grade-point averages and college entrance exam scores that hit state benchmarks. Students will also receive financial aid information along with their acceptance letters.

The State Board sees the Direct Admissions plan as a step in helping the state hit a crucial and ambitious long-term target: by 2020, the state wants 60 percent of its 25- to 34-year-olds to hold some form of postsecondary degree or certificate.

“We want our students to attend our great Idaho colleges and universities,” said State Board president Don Soltman.

To find out more about the Direct Admissions plan, here’s a link to our recent coverage, and a link to the State Board’s news release.