Introducing CA4

Introducing CA4Presented by: Matt McCabe & Tim Dunning, The Common Application

Monday, April 15, 2013 10:45 a.m.Session ID 1378

AACRAO San Francisco 2013 Session ID: 1378

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Introduction

• Association Overview

• 2012-13 Review

• Past, Present, and Future

• Membership Information

• CA4: The Next-Generation Common Application


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


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%)


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


2012-13 Averages

• 4.4 online applications per applicant

• Without transfers and singleton ED apps: 4.6


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

NE INTL MID-AT WEST SW MW SOUTHSCHOOLAVG

IND 6.5 5.9 6.5 6.2 5.4 5.5 4.8 5.8CHART 6.0 5.2 5.2 4.2 4.4 5.7 3.9 5.0REL 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 4.2HOME 4.7 5.0 4.1 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.1 3.9

REGIONAVG 5.4 5.4 5.2 4.3 4.0 3.6 3.6

RED: Above average BLACK: Below average


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

NE INTL MID-AT WEST SW MW SOUTHSCHOOLAVG

IND 6.5 5.9 6.5 6.2 5.4 5.5 4.8 5.8CHART 6.0 5.2 5.2 4.2 4.4 5.7 3.9 5.0REL 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 4.2HOME 4.7 5.0 4.1 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.1 3.9REGIONAVG 5.4 5.4 5.2 4.3 4.0 3.6 3.6

Public schools account for 74% of applicants


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


Past, Present, and Future

• The Early Years (1975-1994)• 15 private colleges in original “Common Application Experiment”• 200 member colleges by 1994• Paper application• Volunteer steering committee assisted by 1 part-time clerical

assistant• Budget of $200,000 by 1994


Past, Present, and Future• The Early Years (1975-1994)• 15 private colleges in original “Common Application Experiment”• 200 member colleges by 1994• Paper application• Volunteer steering committee assisted by 1 part-time clerical

assistant• Budget of $200,000 by 1994

• The Transformative Years (1995-1999)• Incorporation as 501(c)3 not-for-profit membership association

governed by Board of Directors• Holistic review established as primary membership requirement• Public institutions invited to join• Online submission introduced• Preparation to hire first Executive Director


Past, Present, and Future

• The Modern Era (2000-2013)• Rapid growth: 527 members in 2013-14• Tremendous volume: applicants, applications, school officials• 8 full time association staff, 40 full time Hobsons employees• $15M budget funded by member fees


Past, Present, and Future• The Modern Era (2000-2013)

• Rapid growth: 527 members in 2013-14• Tremendous volume: applicants, applications, school officials• 8 full time association staff, 40 full time Hobsons employees• $15M budget funded by member fees

• Going Forward• CA4: New system to accommodate anticipated volume• Independence: Bring outsourced technology in-house• 50-60 full-time staff in new physical office space• Fee reductions for members• Reaffirmation of historic values


The Application

• Online only, paper discontinued• Smart, dynamic questions presented one at a time• Address verification• Arts supplement replaced by Slideroom.com• Athletic supplement discontinued


Payments

• Payment and application submitted together• Online payment for international students without a US credit card or

US-based checking account• No “mail check” option• Simplified fee waiver process


School Forms• Paper still available, but applicants must obtain forms from within

their accounts• New demographic info on School Report• No current-year courses on School Report• International and Homeschool Supplements discontinued as a

standalone forms• Transfer school forms

• Online: Revised College Report and Instructor Evaluation• Offline: Mid-term and Final Report/High School transcript


Member Supplements

• 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• Smart essay prompts• Submitted after Common Application

• August 1st launch for all information for every member college


Writing Sections

• Essay, Additional Information, Required Explanations• 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


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


Services To Members

• New Member Orientation• Support available 8am to 8pm: Control Center, email, phone• Regular training webinars, training library, Knowledgebase FAQ• Annual member conference• Designated support analyst during the Annual Update season• Nightly batch printing and Scheduled Delivery Service• Search, printing, data export, email, year-over-year statistics• Online team manages performance, reliability, and security of the

online system so members and their IT departments do not have to


Membership Timeline

• September: Online Membership Application available• November 15: Application Deadline• February: Board notifies institutions of decisions• March: New Member Orientation• July 1: Membership year begins• August 1: Common App Online launches

New members have about six monthsto prepare for receiving Common Apps


www.commonapp.org


Thank You!Matt McCabe & Tim Dunning

Please complete the session evaluation form using the AACRAO Mobile App or the paper form provided in

your conference bag.

Session ID 1378

Introducing CA4

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Transcript of Introducing CA4