In the text below, Bolded Words refer to links on the Common Application website.  Italiziced words refer to Common Application forms.

What is the Common Application?

The Common Application is a not-for-profit organization providing a First-Year Application that may be submitted to any of 300+ members. Once completed online or in print, copies of the Common Application can be sent to any number of participating colleges. The same is true of the Secondary School Report, Mid-Year Report, and Teacher Evaluation forms. You can submit the First-Year Application to each of your selected institutions. This may be done all at one time, or one at a time. After you have submitted your First-Year Application, you may add additional institutions and submit your application to them as well.

 

How do I access the Common Application?

Access the First-Year Application online through www.commonapp.org. You register with a username and password (be sure to record these in a safe place for future reference!).

How should I get started?

Once you register successfully, the Instructions page of the Common Application website will open. Click on My Colleges in the navigation bar at the left to start your application by adding those institutions to which you wish to apply. Once you have done this, you will be able to utilize the full functionality of the system. (You can remove or add colleges at any time.)

How is the Common Application structured?

Students fill out the First-Year Application itself by filling in information on each of 9 separate web pages: (1) Future Plans, (2) Personal Data, (3) Address, (4) Family, (5) Academics, (6) Standardized Tests, (7) Activities, (8) Writing, and (9) Submit. Pages 1-6 ask for factual information. You’ll need to track down a few less obvious items – when mom graduated from college, or your counselor’s fax number, for example. The Activities and Writing sections are a little trickier. If you forget to submit required information, you will be reminded when you try to save the page.

The site includes several other useful features:

• Instructions – provides detailed instructions for using the Common Application
• My Colleges – maintains your college list
• Search for Colleges – extensive college search function
• Supplements – provides links to supplements for your colleges
• Payments – lets you pay application fees online to many colleges
• School Forms – lets you download Teacher Evaluation, Secondary School Report, and other forms.
• Help

How can I find out about Common Application schools and their requirements?

The Common Application website provides an extensive searching tool, accessed from My Colleges, for you to search for information about each of the member institutions. If you click on a college's name under College Details, a pop-up screen will list application requirements, addresses, deadlines, and other useful data.

Each member institution has a specific deadline for the Common Application and supplement. Once a deadline has passed, you will no longer be able to submit your forms to this institution.

You can also find out about deadlines and requirements by looking at the Common Application Requirements Grid.

If I submit online, what will the colleges see?

You can preview your application by using the Print-Preview option on the Submit page, or the Quick Print option at the top of each section. The colleges will see what you see.

May I customize my application for each school?

Yes. After submitting the First-Year Application to College #1, you click on the Common Application link in the left-hand menu. You will see information about the application you have already submitted (named Original). You should click on Replicate to make an alternate version of your submitted application. When this is complete, a second version will be visible on your screen and a special drop down list that will appear in the upper right corner of your application. You can use this drop down to move between application versions.

All data from your original version of your First-Year Application will be transferred to your alternate version, with the exception of any documents that you uploaded. You may edit any of this information before you submit it to another institution.

Additional application versions can be made by clicking on Common Application section within your original Common Application and using the Replicate link. You may make up to 10 versions, including the original version. You only need your original User Name and Password to access all versions.

You will have a separate My Colleges page for each application version. Each institution can only be on the My Colleges list of one application version. You can move an institution from one version to a different version at any time prior to submitting the First-Year Application to that institution.

What are Common Application Supplements?

Many Common Application member institutions require supplemental forms. These supplements may be available online on the Common Application site, or on the institution's website. If an institution that you have selected requires a supplement, this will be available in the Supplements section. If a supplement is required, you must complete and submit this before your application package will be complete. Some colleges have different supplements for different applicants (early decision, transfer, etc.) so make sure you are filling out the right one. Please note that some institutions require you to submit the supplement first.

How does the Common Application handle teacher recommendations?

For each teacher recommendation, print out a Teacher Evaluation Form, make sure all the requested information is completed in the applicant information area, and give this to the teacher along with stamped addressed envelopes for each college you are applying to. The teacher can complete the form once, copy it, and submit copies to the colleges you specify. Look at the Requirements Grid to see how many teacher recommendations each school requires. You may send more than the required number unless explicitly asked not to – one extra is a good rule of thumb (but only if the additional recommendation is very positive, and the college itself doesn’t say not to!). Under My Colleges you can also view College Details for this information.

If you print Teacher Evaluation forms after you have completed the First-Year Application, some of the applicant and school information will be printed on these forms for you. Be sure to check the box saying you waive the right to see the recommendation, or else the admissions people won’t know whether it’s an honest assessment, and will discount it.

How does the Common Application handle counselor recommendations?

Print the Secondary School Report, and give this to your counselor along with stamped addressed envelopes for each college you are applying to. The counselor can complete the form once, copy it, and submit copies to the colleges you specify. The counselor will also submit the Mid-Year Report (with first-semester grades) to colleges you specify and the Final Report to the college you choose to attend. Note that a few schools (e.g., Pomona) have supplements to the Secondary School Report for your counselor to fill out.

If you print Secondary School Report forms after you have completed the First-Year Application, some of the applicant and school information will be printed on these forms for you. Be sure to check the box saying you waive the right to see the recommendation, or else the admissions people won’t know whether it’s an honest assessment, and will discount it.

How will the colleges get my transcript?

Make sure your high school counselor includes your high school profile and official transcript with his or her completed Secondary School Report. Some students elect to send in their own official transcripts as well.

What if I am applying early action or early decision?

The counselor usually has to sign an Early Decision Agreement form if you decide to apply early to a college. This is available on the Common Application home page under Download Forms.  You will indicate in your submission to each college which decision plan and term of entry you are choosing.

How do I fill out the Activities Chart?

First you have to select a general activity label (e.g., Music: Vocal) from a drop-down list, and then describe it in more detail using your own words on a lower line (e.g., Frequent soloist with Garfield Vocal Jazz Choir, Concert Choir, and Jazz Band). After indicating grade levels (9, 10, 11, or 12) and your hours-per-week and weeks-per-year time commitment, you can add information on positions held, honors won, letters earned (e.g., Outstanding alto at festivals (9-11); voted Most Musical at H.S.). There is a character limit on this explanatory information for each activity, but you can experiment to see how much you can put in there, and make efficient use of the space by using abbreviations.

In what order should I list my activities?

List the activities in order of their importance to you. Toward the top of the list will be activities that you’ve invested a lot of time in over a period of years and typically are those you are still involved in. Toward the bottom will generally be less time-intensive activities, or activities from earlier in high school.

What grade level should I put for summer activities?

If you participated in an activity between 11th and 12th grade, list it as a 12th grade activity.

What if my hourly commitment for an activity varied widely over time?

In a case like this (e.g., an entire weekend of painting migrant worker cabins following 3 months of fundraising activities at 5 hours a week), find a good compromise that doesn’t overstate the total number of hours, and then explain it in the space provided. Another idea is to list these different aspects of an activity in different entries on the chart.

Should I submit a resume?

If you feel too limited by the space constraints of the chart, you can consider submitting a resume. You’ll see on the printed First-Year Application form that this is not unusual. Above the Activities chart it says, “Please complete this section even if you plan to attach a resume.” You can send your resume by mail separately, or upload it on the Additional Information question on the Writing page.

Can the Short Answer be more than 150 words?

The space for the Short Answer is much smaller than formerly, and the official guidance is that the limit is 150 words. You can typically fit a few more words than this. Just make sure that when you print/preview your application to see what the colleges will see, the Short Answer fits into the space provided. And also be sure to make every word count!

How long should my personal essay be?

The online instructions read, “Please write an essay (250 words minimum) on a topic of your choice or on one of the options listed below.” There is no stated limit. I think a one-page, single-spaced essay with size 12 font is a sensible guide.

The personal essay is typed as a Word document and then uploaded into your First-Year Application. The file cannot exceed 500 KB in size and must be in .DOC, .XLS, .WPD, .RTF, .PDF, or .TXT format. After your file is successfully uploaded, you will see buttons next to the question allowing you to view or delete the file.

Can I insert a picture into my essay?

Yes! Just insert it into the Word document, and make sure the document is no larger than 500 KB in size. Don't sacrifice space that could be used for great writing, though, or go over to a second page just to fit in a picture.

What is the Additional Information response for?

• To explain a blemish in the school record (it is best if your account is backed up by the counselor).
• To talk about a learning disability that has affected your academic or test performance. Do not send diagnostic test results, but do talk openly about the general nature of your disability and the ways you have learned to succeed in spite of it. (If you can, research or visit the learning support center for the college, and talk about the ways you plan to utilize this important resource.)
• To explain unusual circumstances affecting your transcript (study abroad or in a community college during high school).
• To talk about a well-defined academic interest and your plan for pursuing it in college.
• To write in some depth about an additional activity of importance to you, especially as it relates to planned studies in college.
• To upload a resume.

Should I fill out an optional arts supplement?

If you’ve made a substantial commitment of time and energy to one or more of the arts and you wish to have that considered as part of your application, print and complete the Arts Supplement and send it with a resume, an instructor’s letter of recommendation, and a CD or DVD of your work. Increasingly, colleges are requesting you do this online. Check specific college information in the Requirements Grid or on the college’s own website to ensure a member institution uses this form or welcomes arts submissions.

Should I fill out an optional athletic supplement?

If you anticipate participating in varsity athletics, print and complete the Athletic Supplement. List any team sports played in order of their importance to you. Check year(s) of participation; indicate letters earned and leadership positions. Include the name of your coach(es). Increasingly, colleges are asking that you do this online. Check specific college information in the Requirements Grid or on the college’s own website to ensure a member institution uses this form.

Can I pay my application fee online?

Most Common Application member institutions require an application fee. Payment of this fee may be made online on the Common Application site, on the institution's own website, or via check. If an institution that you have selected offers an online application fee, this will be available in the Payments section. If an application fee is required, you must submit this fee before your application package will be complete.

How do I report my standardized test scores?

After you are finished with your college entrance examinations, please make sure your test results are sent directly from the testing organization (SAT or ACT) to your selected institutions.

How do I submit my Common Application online?

Click the Submit button on the navigation bar to access the webpage where you designate colleges to receive your application.

You may submit your First-Year Application to one or more institutions at a time, and to other institutions in the future. Please note that once submitted to any institution, this version of your Common Application can no longer be edited or changed. Use the print preview functionality prior to submitting to ensure that all your information has been entered correctly.

Upon successful submission, you will receive an email confirmation message, and the status of your application submission will be updated in the My Colleges area.

How will I know my online Common Application has been received?

If you look on the My Colleges page and see that your application or supplement has been downloaded, this means the school has printed your application/supplement and it is under review. 

What does it mean when a Common Application school is an Exclusive User?

Some colleges accept the First-Year Application but also have their own application forms. These colleges are NOT Common Application Exclusive. For these colleges, REQUIRED forms will be listed on the Common Application website, but you should visit the college’s own website to see if there are additional optional forms or instructions NOT found on the Common Application site. Sometimes the college will have its own pre-application form. If so, you definitely want to send this in as soon as you know you are applying – to show you are interested – even if you plan to submit the Common Application. Sometimes colleges have their own forms to send if you are sending an art submission, or are applying as a prospective athlete.