MCAN partners with EAB to launch statewide direct admission program
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan College Access Network is proud to announce MI College Match, a new partnership with education company EAB and Michigan higher education institutions to roll out a statewide, next-generation direct admission program. Powered by EAB’s Match software, MI College Match will use MCAN’s existing K-12 and higher education networks to offer greater educational opportunities to Michigan students. In alignment with the State of Michigan’s Sixty by 30 attainment goal, this program aims to ensure every participating Michigan student receives an offer to attend college without having to complete a single application.
MI College Match will be embedded in over 350 Michigan high schools through MCAN’s College Bound Michigan, a year-long program that helps counselors and educators guide students through key college-going steps. Students who participate will complete a short profile within the Match platform that captures their interests, college preferences, academic achievements and other key attributes. Participating institutions then extend admission offers and scholarship opportunities via the platform based on anonymized profiles, and students decide which of these colleges they want to engage with and potentially take the next steps to enrollment.
“Michigan’s direct admission program gives students a powerful opportunity to discover their in-state options and decide which colleges they want to explore as admitted students,” said Hope Krutz, president of EAB’s Enroll360 division. “The program also gives high school counselors a dashboard to monitor student progress, admission offers, and scholarship opportunities so they can help students understand their options and navigate the path to enrollment.”
Results from Alabama, where EAB partnered with Alabama Possible to run a similar statewide direct admission program, have been very encouraging. During the 2025-26 academic year, over 18,000 students participated. These students received 141,418 in-state admission offers and a combined $2.8 billion in scholarship opportunities.
“When colleges say, ‘We want you here, and you’re already admitted,’ it changes the entire conversation around postsecondary education,” said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, MCAN executive director. “Students who may never have thought of themselves as college material — especially students from low-income backgrounds, students who would be the first in their families to go to college, students of color, and male students — are now being proactively admitted by institutions, opening educational and career pathways they hadn’t considered or thought were impossible.”
High school counselors and administrators who are interested in learning more about College Bound Michigan and MI College Match are invited to join an Aug. 18 webinar with representatives from MCAN and EAB. The Match platform opens for Michigan students on Aug. 26, and students who complete a profile by Sept. 21 will be eligible for the first release of admission offers on Oct. 5. Students can still create a profile after Sept. 21, and institutions will send admission offers on a regular basis.
Participating institutions as of Aug. 12:
- Albion College
- Alma College
- Aquinas College
- Baker College
- Bay College
- Cleary University
- Davenport University
- Kalamazoo College
- Monroe County Community College
- Montcalm Community College
- Oakland University
- Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College
- Schoolcraft College
- Spring Arbor University
- University of Detroit Mercy
- University of Michigan-Dearborn
- University of Michigan-Flint
- The University of Olivet
“MI College Match lets us introduce ourselves to talented students who might not have pictured themselves here, and to answer the affordability question honestly and early,” said Karlyn Crowley, Kalamazoo College president. “A liberal arts education at K prepares you for a whole life, not only a first job, and we want students across Michigan to know it’s within reach — academically and financially,”
“Many students across Michigan have not yet had the opportunity to discover all that the University of Michigan-Flint offers. MI College Match allows us to place that opportunity directly in front of them, not just as an admission offer, but as an invitation to take a closer look at the academic experiences and personal support we have to offer,” said John Ambrose, UM-Flint vice chancellor of enrollment management. “We are confident that when students discover the University of Michigan-Flint, they will find an exceptional university where they can see themselves succeeding.”
To learn more about MI College Match, please visit micollegematch.com.
About EAB
At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve. Learn more at eab.com.