Wayne State University and Detroit Public Schools Community District are taking a step that could change how Detroit students see their future. The new partnership, called Warriors on the Rise, is built around a promise: if DPSCD juniors and seniors maintain at least a 3.0 GPA and complete core credits in English and math, they are guaranteed admission to Wayne State. No guessing games, no waiting on application decisions, no roadblocks that often stop first-generation or working-class students before they even begin.
The design of the program is simple on paper but carries weight for Detroit’s education pipeline. College access has long been uneven in the city, where many students carry the desire to pursue higher education but face a maze of financial, academic, and logistical barriers. Wayne State’s new initiative acknowledges those hurdles and goes further than just opening the door. It offers structured year-round support for both students and families—career mentoring, college prep workshops, academic advising, and financial aid navigation. Even practical matters like transportation and access to campus events are built into the package, acknowledging the real-life challenges Detroit families face when planning for higher education.
The timeline begins in February 2026, when invitations will reach juniors whose grades qualify them for entry. By March, students must accept and formally join the program, creating a clear entry point. In the spring, families will be invited to a Welcome Day on Wayne State’s campus to tour facilities, meet mentors, and take part in sessions that explain the academic and financial resources available. Over the summer, social events—from sporting outings to cultural activities—will connect students with their peer mentors. By fall, students will be drawn further into campus life through Warrior Week, career workshops, student activities, and performances. That semester also includes the option to enroll in a dual-enrollment course called College Success for Warriors on the Rise, blending exposure to college-level expectations with continued high school support. The program carries into 2027, with another dual-enrollment course offered in the winter and an Early Assurance Decision Day in the spring to celebrate students committing to Wayne State.
For Detroit families, this is not only about a child’s admission letter. It’s about shifting a household’s relationship to higher education. Free or discounted tickets to events mean parents, siblings, and caregivers can be part of the experience. Financial aid sessions are designed to demystify what can otherwise feel like an insurmountable process. Transportation support through WayneRides removes the added stress of commuting from across the city to Midtown. The program takes into account that a student’s success is deeply tied to whether their family feels included and informed in the process.
The benefits are designed to be both practical and cultural. Every participant will be matched with a Wayne State Riser, a peer mentor who offers guidance on academics, navigating campus, and preparing for a career path. Families will have access to financial aid sessions, while students will take part in academic advising, career workshops, and optional dual-enrollment courses that allow them to earn credits before graduation. Cultural access is also emphasized, with free or discounted tickets to campus events and activities. Transportation support ensures that getting to and from campus is not an obstacle. Together, these supports are structured to create early preparation for the college experience in a way that builds confidence and belonging.
The term “assured admission” has a weight of its own. Too often, students second-guess whether they belong at a major university, especially one in their own city. Warriors on the Rise is meant to cut through that self-doubt with a straightforward guarantee: if you do the work in high school, the door at Wayne State is open. For those who might fall just shy of the 3.0 GPA mark, Wayne State notes that they are still encouraged to apply and will be reviewed holistically. The goal is not exclusion but encouragement, reinforcing that one number does not define a student’s potential.
Education leaders behind the program frame it as a way of investing in Detroit’s young people while keeping talent close to home. Detroit has no shortage of students with ambition, but many end up leaving for colleges out of state or opting out of higher education altogether because the path feels too costly, confusing, or closed off. By making the process transparent and accessible, Wayne State is betting on a generation of Detroit students who can picture themselves on campus long before high school graduation.
The academic benefits are clear, but the program also aims to foster community and identity. Dedicated peer mentors will walk alongside each student, not only helping with coursework but modeling how to navigate the broader experience of college. The support stretches beyond academics to career exploration, workshops that help students imagine future pathways, and student activities that build a sense of belonging. These touches matter in a city where many young people juggle work, family obligations, and personal struggles on top of school. To know that a system is built around supporting them, rather than testing them at every corner, is its own form of empowerment.
The assured admissions model is not new nationally, but its application in Detroit is uniquely tailored. By targeting DPSCD students directly, the program signals a commitment to public school students who too often are told that college is beyond reach. With Detroit’s public school system still rebuilding trust after decades of financial and structural challenges, this partnership carries symbolic weight. It suggests that the city’s largest research university and its school district are aligning priorities in a way that centers student opportunity.
There is also a generational component to consider. If this program succeeds, it has the potential to alter how Detroit families think about higher education in the long run. A younger sibling watching their older brother or sister transition smoothly into Wayne State may begin preparing earlier, knowing that the path is real and supported. For parents, the experience of navigating college applications, aid, and enrollment once with a clear support system may make it easier to repeat the process with younger children. In a city where cycles of poverty and underinvestment have been difficult to break, creating new cycles of access and expectation could be transformative.
The rollout will be closely watched. As invitations go out in 2026, the first class of Warriors on the Rise will serve as the pilot for whether the initiative works in practice as well as it does on paper. Success will be measured not only by how many students enroll at Wayne State but also by how many persist and graduate, equipped with degrees that translate into real opportunities. If it works, it may become a model for other Michigan universities to adopt with districts across the state, scaling what begins here in Detroit into a broader movement for equity in higher education.
For now, the focus is on the students who will soon be receiving those invitations. They will not have to wonder if a university education is out of reach. The pathway is drawn, the requirements are clear, and the support is in place. Warriors on the Rise represents a promise to Detroit students that their effort in high school is matched by an institution’s effort to see them succeed. In that shared commitment lies the possibility of a stronger bridge between the classrooms of Detroit and the campus at Wayne State.
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