Buffalo State Teaming Up with Common App on Direct Admissions
Buffalo State University is partnering with Common App on a direct admissions program.
Direct admissions is a process, growing in popularity throughout higher education, that offers admission to qualified prospective students without the lengthy application process. Common App is among the largest systems used by college applicants and serves more than 1,000 universities and colleges worldwide. More than a million students each year apply to college through Common App’s online application.
With direct admissions, Common App proactively communicates with prospective students who have a Common App account and have provided academic information but have not yet completed their open applications.
Last year, Common App’s direct admissions program resulted in offers of admission to 33,000 students at 14 participating universities. As part of this year’s direct admissions program, Common App will provide over 200,000 first-generation and low- to middle-income students who are interested in college with admissions offers to 70 participating universities, including Buffalo State—which is one of 11 schools in New York State and the only SUNY institution involved in the program.
“The direct admission program aligns with Buffalo State’s mission of empowering students and our steadfast commitment to actively facilitate access to public higher education,” said David Loreto, Buffalo State’s executive director of admissions. “This initiative is about opening doors of opportunity to students who may need some extra encouragement to see that college can be part of their future.”
Data from Common App’s direct admissions program has shown that the impacts of the proactive approach were strongest for Black, Latino, and first-generation students. An article on Higher Ed Dive noted, “The model resulted in a more than 4 percent increase in the share of underrepresented minority applicants who applied and a more than 3 percent increase in students from low-income neighborhoods.”
Jenny Rickard, president and CEO of Common App, said, “We are excited for Buffalo State University to join our direct admissions program, where even more students will now know that they are worthy and wanted on a college campus. Overall, direct admissions is about changing the narrative of a college education from one of scarcity to one of opportunity, by ensuring students know that college opportunity is an abundant resource—and one that’s available to them.”
Common App’s direct admissions program also includes outreach and resources to families, and to counselors who have students receiving a direct admissions offer.
