UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Starting this fall, students applying to Penn State will have the ability to do so through the Common Application, an additional application method that the University’s Undergraduate Admissions Office is adding to its application lineup.
The Common Application joins the University’s MyPennState application and the Coalition application as the three ways future students are able to apply for undergraduate admission. The MyPennState application and the Coalition application will be available Aug. 1, 2018, for students applying for summer or fall 2019 admission. Future students interested in using the Common Application to apply to Penn State will be able to do so by September 2018.
The Common Application currently serves and supports more than 3 million applicants, teachers and counselors across the United States and around the world every year.
In joining the Common Application, Penn State will gain access to students who may not have otherwise considered the University.
“We have been discussing the Common Application for several years, but needed to be confident that they could handle the myriad opportunities that future students have at Penn State,” said Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions Clark V. Brigger.
“With 20 undergraduate campuses in Pennsylvania, plus our World Campus and considering the variety of more than 277 academic programs available to students at Penn State, we needed to be certain that future students could select from our vast array of opportunities,” Brigger said.
In addition to providing another option for applying online, the Common Application provides 24/7/365 support for students applying to Penn State. The Common Application also connects applicants to financial aid and scholarship tools, digital portfolios, virtual mentors, a virtual counselor, and a library of resources for counselors, advisers and recommenders working with students to complete their college applications that includes Spanish language translations.
“The decision aligns with Penn State’s priority of access and affordability and will ultimately make the application process easier for high school students hoping to attend our University,” Brigger said.
Students interested in applying to Penn State for the summer or fall terms of 2019 may do so starting Aug. 1 using the MyPennState application or the Coalition application. The Common Application will be available by September 2018.