A coalition of highly respected American public and private colleges and universities has begun the design and organization of an online platform that hopes to recast the nature of applying to college in the 21st centruy. As a group, all colleges and universities in this coalition are committed to strong outcomes, high graduation rates, and, perhaps most importantly, broadening college access by making their institutions affordable for as many families as possible. This presentation will outline the progress the coalition has made in the past year of development, highlight the benefits of this new application platform, and point to the road ahead of a full launch in 2016.
2. A diverse group of public and private American
colleges and universities (the Coalition) has come
together to develop tools to improve access to
college and better support students in the
admissions process.
The Coalition schools are committed to providing
access to students of all backgrounds and share
the following characteristics:
3. Affordability
Coalition schools represent a range of public schools with low-cost, in-
state tuitions and private schools committed to meeting the full
demonstrated need of all their admitted domestic students.
5. American University
Amherst College
Bates College
Bowdoin College
Brown University
Bryn Mawr College
California Institute of
Technology
Carleton College
Claremont McKenna College
Clemson University
Colby College
Colgate University
College of the Holy Cross
College of William and Mary
Colorado College
Indiana University
-Bloomington
James Madison University
Johns Hopkins University
Miami University-Ohio
Michigan State University
Middlebury College
Mount Holyoke College
North Carolina State
University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Oberlin College
Ohio State University
Penn State
Pomona College
Princeton University
Coalition Member Institutions
Columbia University
Connecticut College
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Duke University
Emory University
Florida State University
Franklin and Marshall College
Franklin W. Olin College of
Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Haverford College
Illinois State University
6. Purdue University
Ramapo College of
New Jersey
Reed College
Rice University
Rutgers University-New
Brunswick
Skidmore College
Smith College
St. Olaf College
Stanford University
State University of New York
– Binghamton
State University of New York
– Buffalo
State University of New York
– Geneseo
Swarthmore College
Texas A&M University
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
University of Rochester
University of South Carolina
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
University of Washington
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University
Wake Forest University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Williams College
Yale University
Coalition Member Institutions(cont.)
The College of New Jersey
Tufts University
Union College
University of Chicago
University of Connecticut
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Illinois Urbana-
Champaign
University of Mary Washington
University of Maryland
– College Park
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
– Twin Cities
University of Missouri
University of New Hampshire
University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill
7. • Fall 2013 – Groups of schools came together to discuss the reliability of current
consortium-based application technologies and the potential for alternative
platforms and models.
• Summer 2014 – Technology partner request for proposals released.
• Summer 2015 – CollegeNet selected as winning proposal.
• Fall 2015 – Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success publicly
announced.
• Fall 2015 and Ongoing – Soliciting input/guidance from counselors,
community-based organization partners, and others.
• April 2016 – The Locker and Collaboration Space launch.
• July 2016 – Coalition application available to students to apply to colleges.
Timeline
8. Technology to Support Student Aspirations
Students are our Focus
• All students, especially those lacking resources, should have access to the
appropriate tools to plan for college at the appropriate times.
• Collaborative technology can provide support to under-resourced students, their
families, and the counselors and innovative programs that work with them.
• Students need reliable application technology that supports them and connects them
to their individual list of schools.
Equity and Empowerment
• The admissions application process should aim to enhance, not impede, higher
education access to students of every background and socio-economic status.
Institutions
• Coalition institutions provide unique opportunities. One size does not fit all.
• The Coalition application should accurately represent the diversity of institutions in the
United States. In doing so, the application should emphasize fit and quality rather than
quantity of applications.
11. • Central site for students to begin the college search and planning process.
• Online space for students to collect academic documents, record extracurricular
activities, and log observations, reflections, and ideas.
• A platform that is user-friendly and fully responsive, allowing students and families to
engage through any computer, tablet, or mobile device.
• Students can choose appropriate items from their Lockers to use in their applications
to Coalition and non-Coalition schools.
• Online platform for students to engage their support network (parents, mentors, or
counselors at schools without a college planning technology platform) to view items
from their locker and provide advice and guidance to the student.
• One application platform allowing for application to a wide range of public and private
colleges and universities from one site.
Free Tools for Students
12. • A single platform to plan, build, organize, and refine a student’s application
to a variety of excellent institutions.
• Confidence that if admitted to any Coalition school, they will be offered a
responsible financial aid package and have a strong likelihood of college
success.
• Coalition schools can be trusted to meet their commitment to access and
outcomes.
Coalition Benefits for Students and Families
13. • Free college planning tools to aid mentors and counselors in their work with
students.
• Free platform for online storage of college planning and application
materials.
• The Coalition represents schools that can be recommended on access,
affordability, and success.
• A single location for researching schools, organizing materials, and at the
appropriate time applying to Coalition schools
• The Coalition platform emphasizes credential and application security,
ensuring a dependable submission process.
Coalition Benefits for Mentors and Counselors Using the Platform