Application Types
Most universities use electronic application portals. The most common options are the Common Application, the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success, and some colleges and university systems use their own application portals (e.g. the University of California system and California State University system).The Common Application (commonapp.org):
The Common Application is an undergraduate college admission application that students may use to apply to any of the member colleges and universities. There are around 700 colleges in the US and abroad that accept the Common App, which allows a student to complete one application for multiple universities, however some colleges and universities have supplemental material. Due to familiarity and technical procedures, the DVHS Counseling department encourages students to apply using the Common App rather than The Coalition.
The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success (coalitionforcollegeaccess.org):
The Coalition Application was created in 2015 and became available for submission in the Fall of 2016. The intent of The Coalition, which currently has over 130 member colleges and universities, is to make the college application process simpler and more accessible. The system allows you to store school work, resources, materials, projects, or videos to a private student locker that can be shared with a counselor or mentor for review. The locker is an optional feature that can be used at any time during your high school career. All universities using the Coalition Application offer either affordable tuition or have agreed to meet 100% of a student’s demonstrated need. The University of Washington, University of Maryland, and University of Florida exclusively use the Coalition application.