Will college application paper forms soon become something of the past?
They already are in Michigan in 70% of the cases.
In the article “70% of U-M applications done online” published by The Ann Arbor News, Dave Gershman provides interesting numbers:
Since U-M made online applications an option in 2003, the volume has grown by 10 percent a year. Other local schools have experienced similar trends.
At Eastern Michigan University, about half of the applications arrived online in this admissions cycle. The university made it an option in 1999.
At Washtenaw Community College, the online application proved so popular when it was added in 2002 that the school decided to stop offering a paper version in fall 2004.
At my private liberal arts college based in New Jersey, online applications have increased by more than 23% since July 2004 – compared to 21% the previous year. The number of online requests for information (via our web form) has followed the same trend this year with an increase of more than 20% since August 2004.
What about your institution? Do you have any numbers to share?
Feel free to post a comment below or drop me a line at karine@collegewebeditor.com, I’ll report anything you send my way.
I don’t know what proportion of our applications are online, but I did hear informally from somebody in the registrar’s office that we have a lower enrollment rate among online applicants.
I don’t know if that’s a peculiarity to community colleges, which is my world, but I’ve been thinking about it, and what it might mean, for a couple of months now.
That’s a very good point, Elaine. I don’t know if my Registrar Office can come up with this type of data, but I will definitely look into this.
Thanks for your comments and your interest in the blog.