What's the Deal with the Universal College Application Form?

I've heard about the Universal College Application form, but I'm not exactly sure how it works. Is it similar to the Common App, and which colleges accept it? Should I be considering it when applying to schools?

The Universal College Application, often simply termed as the UCA, is a standardized application form that you can use to apply to multiple colleges at once, similar to the Common Application. While it serves the same general purpose as the Common Application (that is, to streamline the application process), it's accepted by a significantly smaller number of colleges.

As of now, a bit over a dozen schools accept the UCA, including prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Cornell, and Johns Hopkins. You can verify this on the Universal College Application's official site, which lists all participating institutions. Noticeably, it's worth mentioning that many of these colleges also accept the Common App, giving application convenience according to your preference.

The UCA is aimed at making the college application process more user-friendly. For instance, it allows students to revise closed applications and also does not penalize students for formatting errors.

As for whether you should consider using it, it really depends on which schools you're interested in. If more than a few of the colleges on your list accept the Universal College Application, then it might be worth considering, especially if you find its interface or features more user-friendly than the Common App.

However, the crucial point is to ensure that all your chosen colleges accept it. There's no harm in using both the Common App and the Universal College Application - just remember to never apply to the same school through both, as that would likely create confusion in the admissions office.