The Board of Visitors approved changes Monday to the University's financial aid application process.
Effective for the class of 2015, the University will use the College Board's PROFILE application, a standardized form used by more than 600 institutions of higher learning, rather than its own internal application. Although the changes apply to incoming and transfer students, current students will still adhere to the University's old application.
"What we have decided to do is to try to simplify our financial aid process for entering students," said Yvonne Hubbard, director of Student Financial Services. "We hope to streamline that process."
Hubbard likened the PROFILE application to the Common Application, which is used by the University and hundreds of other schools as a standardized admissions application.
"About 65-70 percent of entering students who apply for financial aid here at U.Va. and were filling out a very distinct application were also already filling out the PROFILE application for other schools," Hubbard said.
The University's separate application resulted in confusion for students, Hubbard said, causing them to miss deadlines and delayed communication between schools and students.
The PROFILE application requires a $9 application fee, and the College Board sends the application to universities at a rate of $16 per school, according to the College Board's website. But the College Board will waive these charges for students who qualify for state benefits or fall within certain income levels, Hubbard said.
At a Board of Visitors meeting Tuesday, Valerie Gregory, an associate dean in the Office of Admission, applauded the comprehensive nature of the PROFILE application.\n"[PROFILE] gives a lot more information about a family's financial situation," she said.
Hubbard echoed her sentiments, and said she remains optimistic about the University's ability to work with students in the future.
"We can get data a lot earlier and start communicating and providing services a lot earlier in the cycle," Hubbard said.
Because the PROFILE application also is more extensive, the University will require less follow-up information from students throughout their time at the University, Hubbard said.
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