Applying to UVA just got a little bit easier. The admissions office has decided to accept the Common Application, a standard form used by about 350 mostly private colleges and universities. The reason? Yet another way to increase access, says Admissions Dean Jack Blackburn, which goes along with AccessUVA, dropping early decision and guaranteed admission from community colleges.
“All of these things are part of the same effort to be accessible to a broader population of students,” says Blackburn. By using the Common App, “students can go to this common format and find hundreds of colleges where they can file an application.” UVA is one of the highest profile public schools to join on to the Common App, which didn’t allow public universities to use it until 2001.
A cynic could also see in this a way to boost application numbers, which would make for a slimmer admissions rate that U.S. News and World Report would find more attractive. But Blackburn says that it’s hard to predict whether application numbers will be higher. He’s talked to administrators at schools that have recently joined the Common Application—some have seen an increase, and others haven’t.
 With recent moves to increase access, Admissions Dean Jack Blackburn says the school has seen a slight increase in low-income students. |
“I think when students see the Common Application and see our supplement [extra UVA specific essay questions], they aren’t going to find it an easier application to complete, and therefore say, ‘Oh, let’s file another one.’”
The shift to the Common App is one of three major changes the admissions office is undergoing this year —Blackburn’s last, as he’s announced he will retire next summer. UVA is changing its admissions software and is also moving to reading applications on screen rather than on paper, which will free up some storage space as well as save a few trees.
“When you see all the paper we print, with 18,000 to 20,000 applications plus another 2,500 transfers, it’s sad to see what we’ve done,” says Blackburn.
There were some questions about what dropping early decision would mean for UVA’s numbers of people who accept admission—the school went from having a third of its class automatically matriculate to a complete toss-up—but Blackburn says that it didn’t turn out to be much of a problem.
“We were cautious,” says Blackburn, and accepted about 6,600 students, roughly 500 more than the year before. But the University will end up with about 3,250 new students in the fall—80 more students than it planned for.
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