University of Dubuque Offers New Common App for Transfer Students
Oct 23, 2018 | University Relations
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The University of Dubuque today announced the launch of a new transfer application designed to improve the transfer admission process for four-year transfer and community college students looking to complete their bachelor’s degrees at UD.
As a member of The Common Application, a non-profit organization dedicated to access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process, UD is one of 650 colleges and universities that are using the new Common App for transfer beginning in the 2018-2019 application season. Common App for transfer is an application platform created specifically to meet the unique needs of the ever-growing transfer and community college populations, including active military members, veterans, and adults returning to school to complete their degree.
“The Common App for transfer allows University of Dubuque to meet new prospective transfer students where they are. It reduces barriers and provides greater access to all transfer students. We are pleased to be able to offer this resource to students, and we believe that it will allow us to meet the needs of these students in ways not previously considered,” said Bob Broshous, associate vice president and dean of admission at UD.
Students interested in applying to UD can learn how to use the new Common App for transfer and then explore the unique programs and opportunities they will find at the University of Dubuque.
According to research, transfer applicants are more likely to be first-generation students, often having to overcome the barriers of balancing their education with job and family responsibilities. For the 2017-2018 college application year, 38 percent of transfer students using the Common App were the first in their families to attend college. UD recognized that, in order to help transfer applicants access and complete their bachelor’s programs, it needed to provide these students with an application experience that’s relevant their life story while also making the process of applying more efficient by simplifying the way fee waivers, transcripts, and other documents are submitted.
Some of the enhancements delivered the Common App for transfer for transfer enable UD to provide students with:
- Targeted application experience that allows for tailored pathways based on age, goals, degree status, and credits earned.
- Prerequisite coursework feature, so applicants can select courses they completed to apply toward prerequisite requirements for a given academic program.
- Expanded document collection to centralize collection of documents, including those applicable to transfer applicants such as DD214 and Joint Services Transcript.
- Tracking of experiences and achievements that allows transfer applicants to report volunteer, internship, and work experience, as well as any awards or honors they’ve accumulated outside of the classroom.
- Common App Recommendation Portal, so applicants can choose recommender types: high school official, academic, professional, personal and deliver a personal message with deadline date to each recommender.
- Lastly, with centralized transcript collection, applicants using the new transfer application need only to request transcripts from their most recent institutions – where they were previously or are currently enrolled – once, thus reducing transcript request fees and time spent completing their applications. Transcripts are easily scanned, verified, and attached to the applicant’s record.
“We’re proud of the University of Dubuque’s commitment to providing better pathways and equitable opportunities for this talented group of individuals who didn’t take the so-called ‘traditional’ path to college but are determined to achieve their education goals. The University of Dubuque is just as determined to meet these applicants where they are in their lives and help them achieve their goals of completing a college degree,” said Jenny Rickard, president and CEO of The Common Application.
