For some students, applying to university is a stressful process. Decisions have to be made about where to apply and for what program to enter. Now, Alberta is attempting to make the registration process easier and cheaper for its students with the unveiling of a new website that streamlines the application process.
The new site, ApplyAlberta, is an easier and less costly way to apply, said Seamus O’Shea, ApplyAlberta co-chair.
There is one universal personal and academic application form that is accepted by 16 post-secondary institutions in the province, meaning students only have to fill out one form for all the universities, colleges and technical institutes applied to.
The government of Alberta will also pay the $10 transcript transfer fee for applications submitted through the site.
“ApplyAlberta provides a service that will make it simpler for students to apply to Alberta post-secondary institutions,” O’Shea said.
O’Shea said Alberta students will still have to pay individual institution application fees, which are where the bulk of the payment for applying to university comes from, but he said he thinks the $10 transcript fee does make a difference.
Some students are not as confident.
Kristen Foster, a Grade 12 student currently applying to universities, said she is skeptical of the program’s benefits.
“Although it would not make a difference to me, I’m sure the government could spend the money in something else, like the environment,” she said.
The program has cost $14.5 million so far over four years to develop.
Doug Horner, Alberta’s advanced education and technology minister, said he thinks the site is “a solid investment in the next generation.”
This program is only available to Alberta students seeking to attend university in their home-province.