Union is joining a new group of diverse public and private colleges and universities created to improve the college admission application process for all students.
The Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success is developing a free platform of online tools to streamline the experience of applying to college.
In creating this platform, participating institutions hope to recast the college admission process from something that is transactional and limited in time into a more engaged, ongoing and educationally reaffirming experience. They also hope to motivate a stronger college-going mindset among students of all backgrounds, especially those from low-income families or underrepresented groups who have historically had less access to leading colleges and universities.
The online tools—which will include a digital portfolio, a collaboration platform and an application portal—seek to reshape the process of applying to college as the culmination of students’ development over the course of their high school careers, reducing the unfamiliarity of the application and leveling the playing field for all students. The application will add another option to all the ways that students currently apply for college.
The new platform will be available to high school first years, sophomores and juniors beginning in January.
Students applying to Union will still be able to use the Common Application.
“As an early member of the Common Application, Union has been well served with our association with this organization and has seen many great students apply and enroll here,” said Matt Malatesta ’91, vice president for Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment. “Choice is good for students. We are excited to join this new coalition, which will be another way for students to apply to Union and other fine colleges. The combination of our high graduation rates and our long-standing commitment to meeting the full financial need of all students we admit makes us a good partner in this.”
So far, more than 80 schools comprise the coalition, including all of the Ivy League institutions, Stanford University and the University of Chicago.
“The schools in the Coalition have individually tried many different and creative approaches to address these challenges,” said Jeremiah Quinlan, dean of undergraduate admissions at Yale University. “We have come to the conclusion that we can have a much bigger impact on student access and completion if we work together.”
Learn more about coalition to improve college admission process