"Diverse student bodies lead to improved educational experiences," says David Hawkins, executive director for educational content and policy with the
National Association for College Admission Counseling. "Connecting students from different states and regions is an important part of most colleges' recruitment strategies."
Nationally, an average of 57 percent of early-decision applicants were accepted to the college of their choice in 2010, compared to an overall acceptance rate at those colleges of 50 percent, according to the
National Association for College Admission Counseling.
The
National Association for College Admission Counseling has created a list of Internet services to help high school students search for and apply to colleges (http://www.nacac.com/w_intro.html).
From Lonnie Barefield, retired director of college counseling at Evanston Township High School, Ill., and winner of the
National Association for College Admission Counseling's 2002 Gayle C.
Further, counselor competencies established by the
National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC, 1997) indicate that "School counselors should advocate for the educational needs of students and work to ensure that these needs are addressed at every level of the school experience" (p.
The
National Association for College Admission Counseling holds national performing and visual arts fairs for students interested in undergraduate and graduate programs.
The average yield rate among four-year colleges and universities fell from 42.9 percent in 2009 to 36.9 percent in 2012, according to the
National Association for College Admission Counseling's "State of College Admission 2013" report.
Several other states--including Pennsylvania, California, and Wisconsin--already have unified admissions initiatives similar to what South Carolina is developing, says Jim Rawlins, former president of the
National Association for College Admission Counseling. The University of California system, for example, allows students to apply to all of its nine campuses with a single application.
"Performing and Visual Arts College Fair,"
National Association for College Admission Counseling, in Las Vegas, NV Contact: Sylvia Karpf, (800) 822-6285 or (703) 836-2222, http://www.nacac.com
National Association for College Admission Counseling survey, www.nacacnet.org/Publications Resources/Research/Reports State Higher Education Executive Officers survey, www.sheeo.org/finance /shef-home.htm
There has been ample discussion of these issues among members of the
National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), but the trend toward easing the application process is accompanied by a continued reverence for the individuality and independence of IHEs, many of which connect the substance of the application to their institutional identity (take the University of Chicago, for example) or the timing of the admissions cycle to particular institutional needs or priorities.