To advance the University of Oklahoma’s commitment to assist students seeking admission, OU will begin using the Common Application, effective with the academic year beginning fall 2014 for incoming freshman and transfer students.  The Common App simplifies the process for students applying for admission to more than one university and also enables OU to share its admission process nationwide.  The Common Application allows students to submit one application to any of the colleges and universities that are member institutions – public and private, large and small – thus eliminating the need to complete separate forms and essays for each college. 

As one of the most recent universities to be accepted into membership by the Common Application Inc. association, OU is promoting college access and is furthering its holistic admissions process launched in 2012.  In using the Common App, OU joins more than 500 institutions in 47 states, the District of Columbia and seven countries outside the United States.

“As a pacesetter in American public higher education, the University of Oklahoma’s acceptance into membership by the Common Application association underlines that OU is one of the premier higher education institutions in the nation, joining an organization that includes Yale, Rice and Duke universities as well as the University of Michigan and Ohio State University, among others,” said OU President David L. Boren.  “Use of the Common App also reaffirms OU’s strong commitment to inclusiveness and fairness in admissions.”

The association’s standardized common application incorporates the holistic admission process for students. Such an application encourages students to present a wide array of objective and subjective accomplishments and capabilities as they are considered for admission to OU. Using the Common App, students can submit one standardized online or print application with information on such traditional criteria as class rank and standardized testing along with individualized information such as a personal essay and recommendations about the student’s potential for academic success. This more comprehensive process provides students with a greater opportunity to describe ways in which their academic goals are aligned with those of the University.

The Common Application is scheduled to be available for undergraduate applicants on Aug. 1, 2013.  For more information on OU admissions, please visit www.ou.edu/go2.html.