The Common Application Welcomes New Members for 2019-2020 Application Season

USA - English

• USA - English

ARLINGTON, Va., April 11, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Students applying to college in 2019-2020 will soon have access to more than 50 additional diverse colleges and universities in all 50 states through The Common Application's online application system. Used by more than three million applicants, teachers, and counselors across the United States and around the world every year, the Common App platform streamlines the college application process for students and connects them to additional support resources including financial aid and scholarship opportunities, virtual mentors, and more.

"Our increasingly diverse member institutions, now located in all 50 United States, have demonstrated a shared commitment to pursuing access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Thanks to our members, all students, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to easily apply to the college or university that will help them achieve their best future," said Jenny Rickard, President & CEO of The Common Application. "These colleges and universities are helping us forge a direct and unambiguous path to a viable future for all students, and we are elated and honored to welcome them into our membership."

The Common Application is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. For more than 40 years, The Common Application has played a leading and innovative role in the college admission process. In addition to providing a single, online application and 24/7/365 support for all students applying to member colleges and universities, the Common App connects applicants to financial aid and scholarship tools, digital portfolios, virtual mentors, a Virtual Counselor, and a library of resources for counselors, advisors, and recommenders working with students to complete their college applications that includes Spanish language translations.

Last year, Common App member institutions awarded more than $65 million in need-based fee waivers to applicants. One-third of the more than one million applicants who used Common App last year were the first in their family to pursue a college degree.

The Common Application membership represents institutions from 50 U.S. states, 20 countries, and includes more than 170 public institutions, 49 minority-serving institutions, and 64 international institutions. New members to the 2019-2020 class include a variety of institutions, including:

The University of South Carolina, a large flagship university, is looking forward to expanding access to a more diverse pool of applicants. "The University of South Carolina is excited to announce our new membership with the Common Application beginning in the 2019-2020 application season," said Mary Wagner, Assistant Vice president for Enrollment Management and Executive Director of Admission. "By partnering with the Common App, we look forward to expanding access to a more diverse pool of applicants, many of whom come from the Palmetto state. We anticipate that the application platform, resources, and counselor tools found within Common App will help streamline the college application process for our students and families, as well as the school counselors who support their educational journey."

The University of Arkansas, the largest university in the state offering more than 200 academic programs, is looking forward to providing their counselors and applicants with more resources. "The University of Arkansas is pleased to offer the Common Application to our prospective students. The application will go live in August for the new freshman fall class of 2020, providing students from across the nation a new gateway to the University of Arkansas with a format that is well known and well respected. The Common App connection with the University of Arkansas will allow students a way to apply that fits with their college application goals, to check on the status of their application, and to seeks easy assistance from their counselors in the process. The Common Application will also help students connect with the University, exploring opportunities and making connections with those who can help them every step of the way."

Florida Gulf Coast University, who has more than quintupled their enrollment since 1997, is looking forward to continuing to expand their reach. "By joining the Common App, Florida Gulf Coast University is eliminating hurdles to college access and simplifying the application process for all students, " Marc Laviolette, Chief Admission Officer of Florida Gulf Coast University said. "We are excited to expand our reach beyond the state of Florida and educate, attract, and attain students who might not have considered FGCU as an option before."

Common App membership enables institutions to:

Expand their reach to gain exposure to more students, including students who may not have otherwise considered the institution;

Support college access by streamlining the fee waiver process for students, while also providing opportunities to participate in programming by Reach Higher, Common App's college access initiative originally founded by former First Lady Michelle Obama during her time in the White House.

Gain valuable insight and best practices from the Common App community to inform the college application process and strategic enrollment management decisions at their institutions.

New Members of The Common Application for 2019-2020 Application Season*

New England
Landmark College (VT)

Mid-Atlantic
Pennsylvania College of Technology (PA)
Messiah College (PA)
Mount Aloysius College (PA)
Duquesne University (PA)
University of Charleston (WV)
Hunter College - CUNY (NY)
Baruch College City University of New York (NY)

Mid-West
Dominican University (IL)
University of Minnesota Crookston (MN)
University of North Dakota (ND)
Missouri State University (MO)
North Central College (IL)
Methodist College of UnityPoint Health (IL)
Eastern Michigan University (MI)
Missouri Southern State University (MO)
Shawnee State University (OH)

South
University of South Carolina (SC)
Elon University (NC)
Midway University (KY)
University of Arkansas (AR)
Arkansas State University (AR)
Florida Gulf Coast University (FL)
Kansas State University (KS)
Wichita State University (KS)
University of Texas - Arlington (TX)
University of the Incarnate Word (TX)
Bridgewater College (VA)

West
Simpson University (CA)

International
Ryerson University (Ontario, Canada)

• Full class will be announced at launch of 2019-2020 application season on August 1.

SOURCE The Common Application