C students will get automatic college admission in California

California's Cal State system will admit students with C's in college-prep courses -- with no need to fill out an application -- starting next year, reports EdSource. "Direct admissions" students who decide to accept the offer to can choose among 16 Cal State campuses that are trying to fill classroom seats. The most selective schools — San Jose State, San Diego State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State — are not included.

Cal State schools have higher graduation rates than community colleges. But students who wouldn't apply if they had to fill out an application are likely to be less motivated and to complete a bachelor's degree.

Like the top-tier University of California system, which has discovered that even "A" students can be unprepared for college-level work, Cal State doesn't consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions. Admitting "C" students -- or even "B" students -- on grades alone means even more will need remedial help. And the success rate for unprepared students is low.

It's harder than ever to get into elite colleges like Harvard, Stanford, MIT and CalTech -- and easier than ever to gain admissions to the average college, writes Jon Marcus in the Hechinger Report.

"Public universities or systems in Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawai’i, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin also now offer various forms of direct admission — some beginning this fall — accepting students automatically if they meet certain high school benchmarks."

There are fewer 18-year-olds and more wariness about college costs. "The number of high school graduates entering higher education is about to begin a projected 15-year drop, starting with the class now being recruited," writes Marcus. "That’s on top of a 13 percent decline over the last 15 years."

“The reality is, the overwhelming majority of universities are struggling to put butts in seats. And they need to do everything that they can to make it easier for students and their families,” said Kevin Krebs, founder of the college admission consulting firm HelloCollege.

In some states, students can apply to multiple public universities and colleges with a single application, he writes. Others are waiving fees.

Now more than 210 private colleges have arranged "to extend offers of direct admission for the coming academic year to students who filed the Common App but have not applied."

Direct admission "works best when it's paired with financial aid," said James Murphy, director of postsecondary policy at the nonprofit Education Reform Now.