Provo district to pilot Admit Utah college‑connection service; parents will opt in

Superintendent Devin Dowd told the board on Sept. 9 that Provo City School District expects to pilot Admit Utah, a directory‑based outreach and application facilitation service coordinated by the Utah System of Higher Education. Dowd said the service uses directory information (with parent opt‑in) to send postcards inviting students to a secure site where they can complete a single interface to request admissions data and, if they consent, permit institutions to access transcripts and other materials. He said the district and legal counsel have reviewed the privacy and FERPA considerations and that only students whose parents opt in will have data forwarded. The superintendent said the district is planning to integrate Admit Utah outreach with counselor College & Career Readiness (CCR) processes and to start with ninth‑through‑12th‑grade students. He said the project aims to reduce application barriers, increase FAFSA completion and allow students to compare public in‑state options more easily. Dowd said Provo is one of the first participating districts in the county and that staff expect to launch the pilot within a week or two to coordinate with college outreach events in October. Board members asked whether the system included only public Utah institutions (it does) and whether it would require parents and students to complete additional consent steps online; staff said it does and that transcripts are only shared after affirmative student action. The board asked staff to keep members updated as the pilot is rolled out.