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Indiana University Bloomington adds features for applicants

Campus joins Common Application and Coalition Application for 2017-18; is providing new tools to improve application process

• April 5, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Students applying for admission to Indiana University Bloomington for 2017-18 will be able to use the Common Application, an online system used by hundreds of colleges and universities to manage the college admissions process.

Also, IU Bloomington is part of the newly established Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success, developed to improve the college application process for all students. The coalition is creating a centralized toolkit for students to organize, build and refine their college application materials, part of an effort to encourage more students to take an interest in college as they advance through high school.

Starting Aug. 1, prospective IU Bloomington students will be able to apply via the Common Application, the Coalition Application or IU Bloomington's own electronic application.

"This is a game-changer in support of our efforts to reach a broader pool of qualified and diverse students," said David B. Johnson, IU Bloomington vice provost for enrollment management. "The Common and Coalition applications, along with the current IU Bloomington application, help ensure that we build on IU's national and international reputation of excellence."

Sacha Thieme, executive director of admissions, said IU Bloomington's participation in the additional platforms is one more step in its efforts to meet the students where they are in the college application process.

"Given that many of our peer institutions are already using the Common Application, prospective students expect to find us in that environment," Thieme said. "IU Bloomington celebrates and seeks diversity in all its forms, and we embrace tools like the Common Application and Coalition platforms that will allow us to accommodate and encourage the success of all students who apply to IU."

Johnson added that the launch this year of the Indiana County Bicentennial Scholarships will broaden representation across the state and help make IU Bloomington more affordable.

The university has also recently initiated an innovative approach for visiting the campus: a virtual-reality campus tour "where potential Hoosiers everywhere can visit IU in a way that works best for their needs," Johnson said.

The new Indiana County Bicentennial Scholarships are designed to support enrollment and affordability goals at IU Bloomington, ensuring that students from all 92 Indiana counties are enrolled. The scholarships target specific counties with a small number of enrollments.

The Office of Admissions mailed to 8,000 newly admitted students IU-branded cardboard goggles that can be used with a smartphone to view a virtual-reality tour of IU Bloomington. So far, more than 1,200 admitted students have engaged with the virtual tour since its launch in late March.

By becoming a Common Application member, IU Bloomington has enabled prospective students to apply while also applying to other institutions of higher education using a single application procedure. With the addition of IU Bloomington and other institutions this year, nearly 700 colleges and universities in the United States and around the world now use the Common Application.

Founded in 1975, The Common Application is a not-for-profit member organization of leading colleges and universities in the United States and around the world. Each year, more than 900,000 students use The Common Application's online system to submit approximately 4 million applications.

The Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success is a coalition of public and private colleges and universities that share the goal of improving the college admission application process. The coalition is developing a centralized toolkit, available to high school juniors, sophomores and freshmen, to encourage students -- especially low-income, underrepresented and first-generation students -- to start planning for college much earlier. Students may use the toolkit to submit their college applications.

The coalition currently includes more than 90 public and private universities and colleges across the United States, including Purdue University and the University of Notre Dame as well as IU Bloomington.

Related Links

• Office of Enrollment Management