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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Inter-School Academic Council and GUSA Push for Common App

The Georgetown University Inter-School Academic Council (InterAC), released a statement March 29 urging the university to move from using a distinct college application to the Common Application for undergraduate admissions.

The document was the result of several months of deliberation by the InterAC, a body that brings together Academic Council presidents, the GUSA President, the GUSA Senate Speaker and other designated representatives.

Over 900 colleges and universities, including all Ivy League schools, participate in the Common Application, which allows students to standardize a personal statement and demographic information and submit school-specific supplements and materials. The dashboard on the Common Application allows students to easily track their applications and streamlines the fee waiver process. 

Students wishing to apply to Georgetown must use a separate Georgetown-specific portal and start their application there anew, re-uploading demographic information and essays. Students needing a fee waiver must have their guidance counselor email the university directly or fill out a separate form, rather than using documents already provided on the Common Application. 

The GUSA and InterAC official statement argues that Georgetown’s current application poses accessibility barriers that limit the diversity of Georgetown’s student body. Applications through the Common Application from underrepresented minority populations have increased by 131% over the past eight years — a statistic that far outpaces the increase in diversity in Georgetown’s student body, according to the statement. 

Georgetown University | Student representatives from the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) and the Inter-School Academic Council (InterAC) called on university admissions to switch to the Common Application in a joint statement.

“The Common Application is accessible, navigable, and familiar to high school students, their teachers, and counselors,” the statement reads. “The Georgetown Application is not, and requires additional advising resources. This is a concern for many American high schoolers who are qualified for Georgetown admission but lack available assistance.”

Adrian Ali-Caccamo (SFS ‘24), the president of the Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) Academic Council and an SFS representative in the InterAC, said that he and other members of InterAC have spoken to Provost Robert Groves on the university’s resistance to using the Common Application. 

“His comments on the Common App issue have been insightful and informative about the logistical and co-related challenges of moving to the Common App,” Ali-Caccamo wrote to The Hoya. “Given the University’s continued use of the Georgetown Application, they have clearly been resistant to a move to the Common App.”

A university spokesperson said Georgetown seeks to hold onto a student-centered approach in its application process. The spokesperson also wrote that the applicant pool continues to grow in esteem and diversity.

“Georgetown’s application preserves a student-centered approach, keeping our process as personal as possible and allowing us to coordinate an alumni interview for nearly all candidates, which gives them an opportunity to directly tell their story,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “The Common Application promotes a larger volume of applications. Even though Georgetown’s application asks students to do more, it puts students first.”

Ali-Caccamo said Georgetown’s distinct application contradicts the university’s Jesuit values and serves as a barrier to entry for prospective students because of the higher degree of institutional knowledge that the application necessitates.

“By using an alternative application system, applicants need some additional degree of institutional knowledge, high-school resources, and counselor support to simply send their materials to Georgetown, which may limit some students before they even have a chance for the admissions office to consider their merit as applicants,” Ali-Caccamo wrote.

Yen-Han Chen (CAS ’25) said using a different application did not serve as a significant barrier in his application process to Georgetown. Still, he said Georgetown may benefit from switching to a more widely used application platform. 

“In the grand scheme of things, it was fine, but the added step feels unnecessary,” Chen said. “I’m not sure what Georgetown would lose if we switched to a more united or more unified application like Common App or Coalition. You know, it would certainly give Georgetown more exposure, make it more accessible to different people.”

Chen said Georgetown would have a larger applicant pool to select its incoming students from if it used the Common Application or Coalition Application. 

“We can discuss how much of a barrier it is, but nobody denies that it would be more convenient for applicants,” Chen said. “If we have a greater pool of applicants, we have a broader talent pool to pick from and really pick for the best and most qualified students.”

Ali-Caccamo said that while responses to the petition have been positive, he will not feel satisfied until Georgetown moves to the Common App. 

“Publishing this statement was an important step, but there is work to be done,” Ali-Caccamo wrote. “Releasing this statement does not alone feel celebratory. I think of it as a way for us to formally state our position to the Georgetown administration. In the broader picture, I will feel better once Georgetown moves to the Common App.”

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