The University has announced that it will offer a new application platform to allow prospective students to begin working on their applications as early as freshman year of high school.
By joining the Coalition for Affordability, Access and Success, the University gains access to an application and additional resources can change how students and families approach the college admissions process, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Greg Roberts said.
“This would hopefully allow for more of a relationship to develop earlier in the process,” Roberts said. “Research has shown that underrepresented and underserved students benefit greatly from earlier intervention.”
In addition to having early access to the application, students will also be able to highlight their diverse and non-academic skills, adding artwork or videos of performances to their digital portfolio.
Additionally, the Coalition will provide free tools to aid all high schools in their college counseling efforts. This is especially valuable for traditionally underprivileged high schools, which do not otherwise have the financial ability to purchase these services.
Roberts said the University still supports use of the Common Application. The admissions office will not privelege one application platform over another while considering prospective students.
"This is merely a second option for students,” Roberts said.
The Coalition application builds on a number of recent University initiatives to promote accessibility to students of all backgrounds, such as the Affordable Excellence tuition program.
“The coalition application is an external program, but they are both connected to the issue of access and affordability,” Roberts said.
Over 80 colleges and universities are members of the Coalition for Affordability, Access and Success — including Ivy League schools and most of the top 25 national research universities.
Although the coalition application is a nationwide trend, it has some concrete benefits for residents of the state of Virginia, Roberts said. The coalition application streamlines the process of applying to some of Virginia’s top state schools, so students no longer have to fill out multiple applications.
“U.Va. and William and Mary have used the common application, but James Madison [University] and Virginia Tech have their own,” Roberts said. “Now, students applying to those four schools can simply fill out the Coalition application.”
Prospective students will be able to begin using the coalition application to apply to the University in the summer of 2016.
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