More than 300 colleges now use direct‑admissions offers to preserve enrollment, but early results show mixed outcomes. Institutions report direct admits often have lower engagement and different behavioral patterns than traditional applicants, requiring tailored tracking, outreach and onboarding strategies to convert offers into matriculations. Some schools that blended direct admits with traditional applicants missed enrollment targets and attributed the shortfall to failing to differentiate outreach; others that segmented the cohorts and retooled communications report better yield. Enrollment leaders warn that direct offers are a recruitment tool, not a turnkey solution — they demand investments in CRM systems, behavioral analytics and redesigned student touchpoints. The rapid adoption of direct admissions is forcing enrollment teams to rethink yield metrics, staffing and the investor case for marketing spend.