1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to higher education; establishing a direct admissions pilot project; 
1.3 	appropriating money.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. DIRECT ADMISSIONS PILOT PROGRAM.
 1.6 		Subdivision 1.Authorization. The commissioner of the Office of Higher Education 
1.7 	shall develop a pilot program in consultation with stakeholders including Minnesota State 
1.8 	Colleges and Universities, the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota 
1.9 	Association of Secondary School Principals, and the Minnesota School Board Association, 
1.10 	to automatically offer conditional admission to Minnesota public high school seniors based 
1.11 	on a student's high school grade point average, high school and college transcript information, 
1.12 	standardized tests, statewide assessments, and other measures as determined by stakeholders.
1.13 		Subd. 2.Pilot design and goals. The pilot program shall establish and, to the extent 
1.14 	feasible, implement a process for leveraging existing kindergarten through grade 12 and 
1.15 	higher education student information systems to automate the admissions process for students. 
1.16 	The pilot program will specifically evaluate the impact this process has on outcomes for 
1.17 	students with lower levels of college knowledge, low-income students, and students from 
1.18 	populations underserved in higher education. Initial pilot program participants must include 
1.19 	high schools with a significant number of students of color, low-income students, or both.
1.20 		Subd. 3.Evaluation and report. By February 1, 2022, the Office of Higher Education 
1.21 	shall report to the legislative committees with jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 
1.22 	12 education finance and policy and higher education on activities occurring under this 
1.23 	section. The report must include but is not limited to information about the pilot program 
2.1 	design, implementation challenges and recommendations, and the feasibility of scaling the 
2.2 	program to all public high schools.
2.3 		Subd. 4.Appropriation. $925,000 in fiscal year 2022 and $75,000 in fiscal year 2023 
2.4 	are appropriated from the general fund to the commissioner of the Office of Higher Education 
2.5 	for the purpose of this section. The base in fiscal year 2024 and later is $75,000.