After 900 MPS students used Direct Admit as freshmen to apply to MATC and UWM, M3 opens Direct Admit application for Class of 2026

Most applicants are fully admitted to the university by the start of their senior year through the M3 Milwaukee Direct Admit.

(MILWAUKEE) — During its first year, nearly 900 Milwaukee Public Schools juniors took a simple and free step towards university at Milwaukee Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee through M³ (pronounced M-Cubed) Milwaukee Direct Admission.

The majority of students – now in the first months of their senior year – are already admitted to UWM, MATC or both. For most of those not yet admitted, the only remaining step is to declare a program or major at either institution and/or confirm that they live in Wisconsin to take courses in State at UWM.

Tuesday, M³ The partners celebrated their success and the launch of the application for the next course. Starting now, juniors from any MPS high school (class of 2026) can apply for free to UWM or MATC in less than five minutes at mpsmke.com/directadmit. Students enter their name, MPS student ID, and parent/guardian permission if they are under 18 years old. Their transcripts are sent directly to the college(s) they select, eliminating the need for attachments, essays, or letters of recommendation. Students then receive acceptances from MATC, UWM, or both.

New this year: The M³ The app also allows MPS students to participate in the Wisconsin Universities Direct Admissions Program, opening access to most of the state’s public universities.

The announcement was made at MPS MacDowell Montessori School, a K-12 school that had the highest participation rate in M’s first grade.³ Direct admission to Milwaukee.

Director MacDowell Andrea Coronathe parent of an MPS student who completed the application, noted that it took a lot of stress out of the college application process. MPS Interim Superintendent Eduardo Galván, a first-generation college student, echoed these themes during the launch announcement.

“At MPS, one of our primary goals is to ensure that every student graduates college and career ready. Today, we are excited to announce the second year of Milwaukee Direct Admit, a program that provides our juniors with an accessible path to college,” Galván said.

President of MATC, Dr. Antoine Cruz noted that the program benefits students and strengthens the region’s workforce by providing clear pathways into high-demand fields.

“Together with UWM and MPS, MATC is committed to expanding this opportunity, ensuring every eligible student knows they belong and have a path forward after high school,” Cruz said .

M³ has set a goal of increasing participation from 900 juniors for the Class of 2025 – about 20% of the class – to 1,500, or 35% of the class for the Class of 2026.

UWM Chancellor Dr. Marc Monefounding member of the M³ partnership, underlined the strength of scale of the merger of the three largest public educational establishments in the region. In total, UWM, MATC and MPS enroll more than 100,000 students each year. And thanks to their size, an agreement between the three institutions immediately simplified the college application process for hundreds of students each year.

“By M³“Our collaborative efforts with Milwaukee Public Schools and Milwaukee Area Technical College continue to have a measurable impact on student access, particularly for those who may not initially see college in their future,” Mone said.

Just this month, M³ was honored by the respected Wisconsin Political Forum with its annual prize for intergovernmental cooperation.

Learn more about M³
M³ is approaching its first decade of partnering to build bridges to better lives across the region. Here are some highlights of his continued impact.

• 700 MPS seniors earned 8,000 college credits at UWM and MATC through M³ College Connections.
• 900 MPS juniors streamlined their college admissions process in the first year of the new M³ Milwaukee Direct Admit program.
• 5,000 MPS students explored careers at M³ work-based learning career fairs.
• Nearly 1,000 college-bound MPS senior students participated in the first two years of Smart Start to solidify transitions to MATC and UWM.
• 10,000 MPS freshmen and sophomores visited UWM and MATC thanks to M³’s academic and career planning efforts.

Download the full 2024 impact report (PDF)

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. Although believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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