Universal College Application - Overview

Overview

The for-profit Universal College Application was started in 2007 and is accepted by 44 higher education institutions in the United States(as of January 2013). This is down from 77 in 2010. In addition to the Universal College Application, a school may have its own application materials. The Universal College Application was created for use by any size or type of higher education institution.

One intention of the Universal College Application is to save time and work for students by letting them submit the same application to any of the participating colleges. This is similar to the more popular Common Application, the Universal College Application's main competitor. Most of the schools participating in the Universal College Application also accept the Common Application.

Unlike some of its competitors, the Universal College Application does not try to reflect a certain educational philosophy. Besides fees, the Universal College Application's only demand for schools to participate is for them to be be accredited and uphold the National Association for College Admission Counseling's Statement of Principles of Good Practice.