PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University’s month-old, online admissions program has produced many advocates, hastened the admissions application process and may have helped produce an early surge in the number of students interested in WSU, according to university officials.
Joe Rei, WSU enrollment manager, says 220 students have applied for admission using the online program, accounting for nearly a quarter of the applications received for admission next fall.
He said comments from students who have completed the online form have been very positive. They like how quickly it can be completed and that built in messages indicating where errors may have been recorded can be easily corrected.
Applicants can access the online application system from the opening WSU web page. It provides instructions to the types of information and documents needed to complete the forms. Applicants must provide a credit card number to pay the required $35 admission fee.
The online system is available for freshman, transfer and graduate admission. Applications for international students and students interested in non-degree programs are to be added soon.
Of the 220 online applications, two-thirds are from Washington residents and a third from applicants throughout the country, according to Jack Alilunas, an information technology specialist who led the design and implementation of the system. About a half dozen applications have been received online from American students overseas. A third of the total are transfer applications, and two-thirds are applying as freshmen.
Alilunas said response data shows that nearly half of those completing online admissions forms had no contact with WSU before, suggesting the effectiveness of the system and its prominence on the university’s introductory web page.
While the preliminary numbers are too early to indicate a trend for next year, the number of completed applications for fall 1999 are running about 25 percent ahead of a year ago, Rei said.
WSU can be located on the internet at
ar385-98
