The Common Application, or Common App, allows undergraduate students to submit one application to institutions from 18 countries, including 49 U.S. states, and gives students around-the-clock support, financial aid and scholarship information, and the ability to sign up for a free virtual mentor.
Dr. Tammy Johnson, executive director of admissions and international student services at Marshall, said the system should be fully operational for incoming freshmen for the Fall 2018 application cycle, which will begin in September 2017.
“Marshall is always looking for ways to streamline the admission process while appealing to the broadest possible number of applicants. The Common Application allows us to accomplish both of these goals and will, undoubtedly, allow us to better serve our applicants in the future,” Johnson said.
The online platform and college planning website serves over three million students, teachers and counselors around the world, according to commonapp.org.
Dr. Beth Wolfe, director of recruitment at Marshall, said students are applying to more postsecondary schools, due in large part to online applications.
“Specifically, using The Common Application saves students significant time in their application process and makes the submission of their required materials much easier,” Wolfe said. “Also, the wide range of institutions represented on The Common Application gives students a convenient way to explore options for which they are a great match but ones they might not have previously considered.”
Jenny Rickard, president and CEO of The Common Application, said new members “represent the best in geographic and institutional diversity.”
“Together, they offer unique experiences for our applicants, one-third of whom are the first in their families to go to college, while also sharing our mission of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process,” Rickard said.
In 2016, more than half of Marshall University applicants were first-generation entrants.