Dive Brief:
- The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success is releasing its new application this summer, giving schools a chance to use it for the following admissions cycle — but more than 30 are going to sit out the first year.
- Inside Higher Ed reports the coalition is not releasing information about which colleges are holding off, but the University of Maryland at College Park and the University of Washington are two that plan to offer the new application as the only option for students, instead of making it available in addition to the Common Application.
- Georgia Tech is waiting one year to better understand the technology and framework and have a smoother implementation in year two, and other schools are using both applications next year to give students choice and insulate themselves from an overreliance on a single system.
Dive Insight:
The Common Application’s 2013 technology troubles have created a selling point for the coalition's application, which otherwise has been billed as an opportunity to expand access to college by creating a format for low-income students to start thinking about college earlier in their high school careers and actually apply. Critics have accused the coalition of being incommunicative about its plans and its members, though Inside Higher Ed reports the organization will release more information about who is offering the new application in the next admissions cycle closer to its July launch. High school guidance counselors in wealthy districts, especially, have been hounded my parents who want to get as much information about the new application as possible and help their students figure out how to shine through the new platform.