Louisiana public colleges and universities must accept the Louisiana common application, and the application generally cannot ask about criminal history.
§3138. Louisiana common application; development; implementation A.(1)(a) The Board of Regents, in collaboration with the public postsecondary education management boards, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Education or his designee, and the chairman of the House Committee on Education or his designee, shall provide for the development and implementation of a common application whereby Louisiana residents and nonresidents may apply to any public college and university in the state. Except as provided in R.S. 17:3152, such application shall not include questions pertaining to an applicant's criminal history. (b) When developing the implementation plan for the common application, consideration shall be given to best practices for successful implementation, implementation costs, development and maintenance of a website to facilitate the common application process, and the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Regents and the postsecondary education systems and institutions. (2) Regionally accredited independent colleges and universities that are members of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities may also utilize the Louisiana common application. B. Each public college and university shall accept the Louisiana common application, which a student may complete one time and submit to as many institutions as he wishes to apply. Applications may be submitted electronically or in a paper format, as specified by the individual postsecondary institution. C. Each public college and university may impose such application fees as authorized by law and may separately collect such supplemental documentation and information as it deems necessary to properly evaluate the student's application. D. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection B of this Section, if a student chooses to utilize the "Common Application" developed and administered by the not-for-profit membership organization, The Common Application, Inc., a public college or university may accept such application in lieu of the Louisiana common application required by this Section. If a public college or university accepts such application, it shall not consider any criminal history information provided on the application at any point during the admissions process except as provided in R.S. 17:3152. E. The Louisiana common application shall be fully implemented and available to students applying for admission for the 2016-2017 academic year. F. The provisions of this Section shall not apply to graduate or professional schools or degree programs. Acts 2014, No. 732, §1, eff. June 19, 2014; Acts 2017, No. 276, §1.