Pitt Offers Streamlined Application Option

Students wanting to enroll in the University of Pittsburgh have a new online option that will streamline the application process.

As a member of the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success, Pitt offers the Coalition Application as well as access to mycoalition.org and additional online tools to students in the ninth through 12th grades. The national coalition includes more than 90 public and private universities across the country.

The Coalition Application, available now to apply for fall 2017 enrollment, enables students to use the same application to apply to any of the coalition’s 90 member schools. It is different than the Common Application program used by other colleges and universities. 

“It’s all about removing the barriers that, in the past, have kept low-income and first-generation students from attending college,” said Pitt’s Chief Enrollment Officer Marc L. Harding. He added that coalition members hope the tools will engage those students earlier in the process and reach any who may have shied away from the college application process in general.

“Pitt has a mission and commitment to providing the best education and collegiate experience possible. This fits well with the coalition’s mission to expand access to college and to direct students to schools that have a record of success,” Harding said.

“Given the complexities of the college-admissions application process, the Coalition Application is designed to make planning for and applying to college less overwhelming and more of a partnership.”

Research has found that low-income and first-generation students often don’t begin the college application process until later in the cycle. In addition, the financial aid process is daunting and sometimes students do not receive aid for which they qualify. As a result, many students miss out on the college experience altogether. 

The online toolkit includes a virtual Locker, where high school students can store classwork, personal writing, records of their activities, letters of support, or any other sealed document they’ll need to complete their college application during their senior year. There is also a Collaboration Space where students can attach documents and invite teachers and mentors to provide feedback and editing suggestions via an online chat feature. 

While applying to a university through the Coalition Application doesn’t give a student a competitive “edge” in being admitted, it does have advantages, including automatic application-fee waivers for all coalition schools to which a qualifying student applies.

Information about the coalition is available at coalitionforcollegeaccess.org.