Presented at the 2013 NPEA conference by: The Common Application, Inc. http://www.educational-access.org/npea_conference_speakers2013.php

1. INTRODUCING CA4
N P EA 2 0 1 3
CAMBRIDGE
S C OT T A N D E RS O N

2. Agenda
• Association Overview
• 2012-13 Review
• CA4: The Next-Generation Common Application
• Your Questions

3. The Association
• Not-for-profit membership association founded in 1975
• Mission: to promote holistic admission as a path to college access
• Free services for applicants and secondary schools
• Volunteer Board of Directors
– 9 chief enrollment officers
– 4 school counselors
• Two Advisory Committees
– Applications: primarily admission operations professionals
– Outreach: school and CBO counselors

4. Membership Requirements
• Baccalaureate degree granting institution
• Regional accreditation or CIS Membership
• NACAC member in good standing
• Commitment to association’s non-discrimination statement
• Holistic admission process
– One academic recommendation
– Untimed writing sample

5. 2012-13 Statistics (Projected)
Applications
• 730,000 unique applicants (+10%)
• 3.1 million applications (+10%)
School Forms
• 20,500 high schools represented (+10%)
• 350,000 school officials will submit an online form (+15%)
• 9.5 million school forms (+22%)

6. 2012-13 Demographics
Sex
• 56% Female, 44% Male
Ethnicity
• 58% White, 29% Students of Color, 13% No Response
Country of Home Address
• 91% Domestic, 9% International
Parental Education
• 69% At least one parent with a Bachelor’s, 31% First Generation
School Affiliation
• 74% Public, 14% Independent, 12% Religious, <1%Homeschool

7. 2012-13 Averages
• 4.4 online applications per applicant
• Without transfers and singleton ED apps: 4.6

8. 2012-13 Averages
• 4.4 online applications per applicant
• Without transfers and singleton ED apps: 4.6
SCHOOL
NE INTL MID-AT WEST SW MW SOUTH AVG
IND 6.5 5.9 6.5 6.2 5.4 5.5 4.8 5.8
CHART 6.0 5.2 5.2 4.2 4.4 5.7 3.9 5.0
REL 6.2 5.3 5.4 4.7 4.1 3.8 3.8 4.8
PUBLIC 5.2 4.9 5.0 4.0 3.6 3.3 3.3 4.2
HOME 4.7 5.0 4.1 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.1 3.9
REGION
AVG 5.4 5.4 5.2 4.3 4.0 3.6 3.6
RED: Above average BLACK: Below average

9. 2012-13 Averages
• 4.4 online applications per applicant
• Without transfers and singleton ED apps: 4.6
SCHOOL
NE INTL MID-AT WEST SW MW SOUTH AVG
IND 6.5 5.9 6.5 6.2 5.4 5.5 4.8 5.8
CHART 6.0 5.2 5.2 4.2 4.4 5.7 3.9 5.0
REL 6.2 5.3 5.4 4.7 4.1 3.8 3.8 4.8
PUBLIC 5.2 4.9 5.0 4.0 3.6 3.3 3.3 4.2
HOME 4.7 5.0 4.1 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.1 3.9
REGION
AVG 5.4 5.4 5.2 4.3 4.0 3.6 3.6
Public schools account for 74% of applicants

10. 2012-13 Members
39 new members (527 total)
• 47 states plus DC (1 new: Hawaii)
• 16 international members (5 new)
• 7 countries outside the US (1 new: Austria)
• 17 public flagships (3 new: Purdue U, CU Boulder, U. Oklahoma)
• 81 public institutions (15 new)
• 7 HBCUs

11. The Application
Improved Online Experience
• Smart, dynamic questions presented one at a time
• Onscreen support and at-a-glance progress checks
• Streamlined CEEB/School search
Enhanced Data Collection
• Expanded reporting for several fields, including citizenships,
languages, schools, colleges, siblings, parent degrees, stepparents
Arts/Athletics
• Arts supplement replaced by Slideroom for Exclusive II members
• Athletic supplement discontinued

12. The Application
Paper Application
• Paper application discontinued; students must apply online
• Print-preview still available, identical to what colleges see
Alternate Versions
• Supported with a new process
• Unlimited edits to all data except the Common Essay
• Common Essay limited to 3 submitted versions
• Balanced need for corrections and updates with philosophy of a
common application
• College-specific essays will be part of Member Supplement

13. Payments
Submission
• Payment or fee waiver and application submitted together
• Current three-step process eliminated
• No “mail check” option
International Payment
• Online payment for international students without a US credit card or
US-based checking account
Fee Waivers
• One-and-done process using ACT/CB/NACAC eligibility criteria
• No limit on the number of waivers a student can use
• Counselors need to confirm eligibility
• Open to international and transfer students
• Non-need-based waivers still available

14. School Forms
School, Midyear, Optional & Final Reports
• New demographic info, one-and-done for online counselors
• No current-year courses
• Counselors asked to describe attached grades (1st qtr, 1st tri, etc.)
• Paper still available, but applicants must obtain forms from within
their accounts
Other First Year Forms
• No changes to the Teacher Evaluation
• International and Homeschool Supplements discontinued as a
standalone forms
• New non-academic evaluation form for peers, coaches, clergy, etc.
Transfer School Forms
• Online: Revised College Report and Instructor Evaluation
• Offline: Mid-term and Final Report/High School transcript

15. Member Supplements
New Supplement System
• Standalone forms replaced by two new sections
• Member Page
– Expanded, customized version of Future Plans
– Members select questions and permitted responses
– Submitted with Common Application
• Writing Supplement
– Short-answer or essay-length responses to member questions
– Uploads permitted for members willing to receive resumes,
research papers, and graded assignments
– Submitted after Common Application

16. Member Supplements
Advantages
• August 1 launch of all Member Pages and Writing Supplements
• Smart Essay Prompts: Student responses to Member Page
questions can drive Writing Supplement content
• Consistency for students in how questions are asked
• Flexibility for members in determining acceptable responses
Unsupported Questions
• Questions asked elsewhere in the Common Application
• Questions that violate NACAC’s Statement of Principles of Good
Practice
• Arts questions (to be collected via Slideroom or members arts form)
• Appointment scheduling (visits, auditions, overnights, etc.)
• Financial aid questions beyond intent to apply for need, merit

17. Writing Sections
Three Writing Opportunities
• Essay: Required for all applicants
• Additional Information: Optional for applicants
• Required Explanations: Conditionally required based on responses to
discipline, criminal history, education interruption, military discharge
Specific Changes
• Five new essay prompts, reviewed annually
• Short answer moved to Writing Supplement if member wants to ask
• Enforced 650 word limit for all sections
• Enforced 250 minimum for essay only
• Uploaded documents replaced by text-entry
• Basic formatting available (bold, italics, underline and accented
characters); cut and paste retains formatting

18. www.commonapp.org

19. Questions For You
1. How can The Common Application reach more underserved
students?
2. How can The Common Application better support counselors who
work with underserved students?