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The Common Application is expanding its direct admissions efforts, this month partnering with 70 institutions in 28 states to offer proactive admission to more than 200,000 prospective college students, Education Week reported.
That means roughly one in eight students who complete a profile on the Common App site will receive, without even applying, an offer of admission from at least one participating institution in their state.
The initiative is an extension of the program the Common App piloted in 2021. In 2022–23, 14 institutions offered direct admissions to about 30,000 students with Common App profiles who met a certain GPA or test-score threshold. Results have shown that the effort, which reduces barriers to college by simplifying the application process and waiving fees, has been especially helpful in boosting applications among underrepresented minority, low-income and first-generation students.
The Common App, which partners with at least nine other states in offering direct admissions, is adding Connecticut to the roster to expand college-going opportunities for more students in the state. Students who graduate high school in 2024 in the top 30 percent of their class will be eligible for free, automatic admission to one of nine institutions—five private and four in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system. (This paragraph has been updated to correct the breakdown of participating public and private colleges.)
“We are excited to partner with the state of Connecticut to ensure students know they are worthy and wanted on a college campus,” said Jenny Rickard, president and CEO of the Common App. “Common App’s next chapter is about reimagining the admissions process so that all students feel welcomed and ready to apply and enroll in college.”
