Also, sometimes the indirect programs have moving targets to get into the programs (daughter is applying direct-admit BSN programs, so we’ve looked into a lot of both types). The GPA to move on may be based on how you rank compared to your fellow students, so that 3.8 might not make the cut your year. Or the year after.
The programs also can be structured very differently. Direct admit programs, at least the ones we’ve looked at, often have some kind of clinical experience from the get-go. I’m not saying one is better than the other, but they can be different.
And make sure your definition of direct admit is the same as theirs. I’ve taken to emailing the schools to make sure, beyond a doubt, that we are talking the same thing. Some of them will dance around the definition, and at least a couple that called themselves direct admit told us my daughter would have to apply to the major at the end of her freshman year. To me, that’s not direct admit.