HIGHWOOD – State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) is encouraging incoming college students to take advantage of Common App – a simplified way to apply to multiple Illinois colleges and universities at once.

“Applying to college is a tedious and stressful process that can take hours and cost hundreds,” Morrison said. “Common App makes the process easier by creating a one-stop shop for incoming students to send applications to multiple colleges at once.”

Incoming students applying to college will now be able to submit applications to any of Illinois’ 12 public universities and dozens of private institutions using just one form on commonapp.org. Once a student makes a Common App account, they will be asked to confirm which schools they’d like to apply to and review the admission requirements for those schools. They’ll then submit their application on the website, where they’ll be able to track its status.

Low-income students and their families can apply for a waiver to help cover the application cost. Over the last two years, more than 470,000 students using Common App across the country were granted a fee waiver.

“By making the college application process more efficient and cost effective, we are breaking down barriers to access to higher education,” Morrison said. “Getting your application to multiple admissions’ offices in one fell swoop is a great opportunity – one I know my kids wish they would’ve had when applying to college.”

The expansion of Common App comes thanks to $1 million set aside in partnership with the governor’s office, Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois General Assembly.