Navigating College Admissions: A Comprehensive Guide to Colleges Using the Common Application

For students embarking on the journey of applying to college, the Common Application stands as a pivotal platform. It partners with over 1,000 colleges and universities across the United States, making it the largest college application platform in the US. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the Common Application, its benefits, participating schools, and essential tips for navigating the application process.

What is the Common Application?

The Common App is an online platform designed to streamline the college application process for first-time and transfer applicants. Rather than completing a separate application for each school, the Common App asks you to enter your basic information into a single form - your Common Application. This includes details like your personal and family background, education history, and extracurricular activities. It allows students to manage multiple applications through a single portal. This eliminates the need to fill out the same basic information repeatedly for each institution.

Streamlining the Application Process

The Common App simplifies the application process in several ways:

Centralized Information: Applicants enter their personal and academic information once, and it is then accessible to all the colleges they apply to through the platform.
Management of Recommendations: The platform allows students to invite recommenders and track the status of their letters of recommendation.
School-Specific Questions: In addition to the Common Application, most Common App colleges require you to answer school-specific questions. These questions allow universities to gather more information about an applicant's interest in their particular institution.
Clear Requirements: Since everything is managed through the Common App portal, you don’t have to worry about missing important questions or application instructions.

A Brief History

The Common App began 50 years ago when a small, humble group of colleges decided to renovate the college application process. Fast forward to today, and there are now over 1,100 Common App schools. The platform has evolved significantly since its inception, with a continuous focus on expanding access to higher education. In 2019, the Common App joined forces with Michelle Obama’s campaign, Reach Higher, which also places an emphasis on college access equality.

Who Uses the Common Application?

While not every school participates, many universities are considered Common App schools.

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Public vs. Private Institutions

Yes, many private schools use the Common App, and you’ll find plenty of private colleges included on our list of Common App schools. While the Common Application is used by many private universities, some public school systems, including many schools in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, accept it as well. Of course, some private schools may have their own college application portals. For each school you apply to, you’ll want to check their admissions process and application requirements.

Ivy League and Elite Institutions

Planning on applying to Ivy League schools? Well, you’re in luck, because all eight of the Ivies use the Common App. The Ivies include Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard College, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. Many students seeking Ivy League admissions end up applying to more than one of these elite schools.

Remember that even though you’ll use the Common App to apply to Ivies, you’ll still need to customize each school’s application. As with any university application, your essays will be what truly set you apart from the rest. Therefore, as you research different Ivy League schools, be sure to check out their supplemental essay prompts. Most importantly, you’ll want to make sure that you use the Common App essay and supplemental essays to show why you’re the perfect fit to a specific school. Even though you can use the same Common App essay for many schools, you might want to slightly modify it for different schools. Alternatively, supplemental essays are a great opportunity to make sure you show off your unique strengths and knowledge of the school.

Types of Institutions

Common App colleges encompass a wide variety of types of institutions. This includes private, public, Ivy League, elite, national, and liberal arts schools. Common App schools include all types of universities. These Common App schools are best for those students looking for a large campus and student body and who want to focus on research programs.

Not Every School Uses the Common App

Of course, not every school can be found among the Common App colleges. Indeed, some institutions choose to admit students via their own applications and platforms. For example, all University of California campuses use their own application and digital platform. Some schools have insisted on using their own applications in order to highlight the parts of the process which are important to them. Additionally, some top schools may want to manage the number of applicants. Common App schools aim to simplify the application process. However, some elite, competitive institutions might prefer to ensure they get applicants who are seriously interested in attending.

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Key Steps to Applying Through the Common App

We’ve said many times that the platform makes it easier to apply to Common App colleges. But, you might be wondering how that works exactly.

Create a Common Application login: First, you’ll need to actually create an account. Go to commonapp.org and click the ‘Start your application’ button. Choose the ‘first-year student’ or ‘transfer student’ option. Once you have your Common Application login, you can enter information at your leisure.
Fill out your profile: Next, after using your Common Application login to enter the platform, you can now start filling out some information. Filling the application is pretty intuitive. Once your account is created, you will then need to follow the prompts and enter more detailed information about your education and extracurriculars.
Add Common App colleges and review requirements: Using the College Search function, start adding the schools on your college list. In the ‘My Colleges’ section, you’ll have to add all the colleges that you plan on applying to.
Complete and submit your applications: After you’ve added all of your colleges and checked out their requirements, you can complete your application. Remember that different schools will likely have different essays, so completing school specific application requirements could take some time. However, you don’t have to do it all in one sitting!

As you can see, applying to Common App schools allows you to forgo the tedious act of filling out the same information multiple times. It also makes it clear what requirements or sections you still need to finish. Checkmarks indicate which sections you’ve already completed.

When to Start

Beyond asking yourself, “What is the Common App?”, you might be wondering, “When can I start using it?” The Common App opens each year on August 1st. But you don’t have to wait until then to get started with your applications. You can create your account at any time and familiarize yourself with how it works and what information you’ll need to provide. This gives you ample time to get all your documents ready. However, if you’re ready to start working on your college applications before then, you certainly can! To get started, simply create an account and start working on the Common Application questions. You’ll be able to transfer your information to the new edition of the Common App that opens on August 1st. However, this only applies to your Common Application - college-specific questions and essays will not be saved.

Deadlines

As early and regular decision deadlines approach, stay mindful of each school’s Common App deadline. What’s more important than the Common App deadline are your individual college application deadlines. Every college sets its own deadline, some are much earlier than others. Make sure you complete and submit the Common App before the first college application deadline on your list. If you’re applying early action or early decision, make sure you note those earlier deadlines as well - they come up fast! While the regular decision deadline is typically around January 1, the early decision deadline is usually set at November 1. As a rule of thumb, you should start working on your application long before the deadline. While working through the form, you may find you need a document that you don’t have on hand at the time or you may need clarifications.

While all of these colleges accept the Common App, it’s important to remember - there is no universal Common App deadline. Rather, each school will have their own Common App deadline. It’s true the Common App platform streamlines the application process, but ultimately you are still in charge of submitting your applications.

Common App Essays

Every year, Common App publishes a set of essay prompts for that academic year. These may vary from one year to the next or they may remain the same for two consecutive years. There are 7 College App essay prompts that you can choose from. Many Common App schools require applicants to complete and submit supplemental essays. However, you’ll need to check the individual essay requirements of your Common App colleges. While the prompts for the Common App personal statement have stayed fairly consistent over the years, they can change. Therefore, always make sure to check online for the most recent information.

Here are some examples of Common App essay prompts:

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure.
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking?
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you?
Share an essay on any topic of your choice.

Essay requirements for Common App schools are readily available on the platform. Once you add a school to your Common App Schools list, you’ll be able to see all of their requirements.

Cost of Using the Common App

How much does it cost to use the Common App? The Common Application platform itself does not charge students a fee to use it. The Common App is free to use. However, individual colleges may charge an application fee. For Common App colleges, there is a Common App fee that must be paid to become members of the platform. While the Common App is free for students to use, Common App schools may still implement an application fee. This will vary depending on the institution, but it generally ranges from $30-$90 per application. When applying to various schools, these fees can add up!

Fee Waivers

If you think you might qualify, you can apply for a fee waiver in the Profile section of the platform. This fee waiver allows you to apply to colleges without paying an application fee. Your counselor will need to confirm your eligibility. Most Common App member colleges don’t charge first-year students any application fees. If you meet these criteria, you can request a fee waiver using the Common App Fee Waiver section of your Profile and provide the necessary documentation supporting your claim. You can get this from a financial aid officer, school official, community leader, or college access counselor.

Alternatives to the Common App

While the list of Common App schools is extensive, there are still institutions that opt to use their own application platform. For one, institutions can further customize their applications on their own platform. The Common App allows schools to adjust essays and other supplemental information, however, some schools may want greater control of the application format in order to better align with the school’s priorities.

If schools that you’ve shortlisted do not accept the Common App, you will have to apply to them directly. Some colleges accept applications submitted through multiple platforms as well as direct applications. When a school offers multiple options, they don’t have a preference as to which one an applicant uses so go ahead and choose ANY ONE platform that works best for you. In choosing the best option for submitting your application, think about your full list of colleges and consider what each one requires.

Another platform quite similar to the Common App is the Coalition Application. This platform has a similar goal: to make college more accessible. The Coalition Application was founded in 2015 by a group of 140 schools (now including 170) “to improve the college application process for all students, particularly those from historically under-represented groups.” Many highly regarded public institutions, such as Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland, use the Coalition Application. Other schools, such as Princeton, accept the Coalition Application in addition to the Common App. While the Common App schools number well over 1,000, there are just over 150 Coalition App schools.

QuestBridge is another specialized application platform with a more specific focus. Their National College Match program connects high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds to partner schools that allow them to apply for free, and if admitted offer full scholarships.

Benefits of Using the Common App

There’s a reason there are so many Common App schools: the platform offers numerous benefits to college applicants. Without a doubt, the greatest advantage is how it streamlines the application process.

When you apply to Common App schools, you can enter your personal information once.
Once you add a school to your Common App profile, you’ll easily be able to see each school’s Common App deadline and other requirements, including letters of recommendation and other materials. You can also easily find the essay requirements for your schools.
Having one place to track each school’s Common App deadline, required documents, and recommendation statuses can help students to stay organized.
Common App colleges aim to make applying to college accessible to everyone. They do this by simplifying the application process - especially when it comes to requesting letters of recommendation.
Apart from keeping each school’s Common App deadline and application requirements in one place, the platform also provides applicants with valuable resources. This includes financial aid information, helpful guides on how to complete the application, and access to fee waivers.

List of Colleges That Use The Common Application

The following list contains some of the colleges that use the Common Application:

Princeton University
Harvard University
Stanford University
Yale University
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Duke University
Johns Hopkins University
Northwestern University
University of Pennsylvania
Cornell University
University of Chicago
Brown University
Columbia University
Dartmouth College
Rice University
University of Notre Dame
Vanderbilt University
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Washington University in St. Louis
Emory University
University of Virginia
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Southern California
New York University
University of Florida
University of Texas-Austin
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
Boston College
Tufts University
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Boston University
The Ohio State University
University of Maryland-College Park
University of Rochester
Lehigh University
Purdue University-West Lafayette
University of Georgia
Wake Forest University
Case Western Reserve University
Virginia Tech
Florida State University
Northeastern University
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
William & Mary
North Carolina State University-Raleigh
Stony Brook University-SUNY
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Villanova University
Brandeis University
George Washington University
Michigan State University
Pennsylvania State University-University Park
Santa Clara University
Tulane University
University of Miami
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
University of Connecticut
University of Pittsburgh
Binghamton University-SUNY
Indiana University-Bloomington
Syracuse University
Colorado School of Mines
Stevens Institute of Technology
University at Buffalo-SUNY
Clemson University
Pepperdine University
University of Illinois Chicago
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Howard University
Marquette University
University of Delaware
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
American University
Baylor University
Fordham University
Loyola Marymount University
Southern Methodist University
University of South Florida
Gonzaga University
University of Colorado-Boulder
University of Iowa
Auburn University
Texas Christian University
Elon University
Clark University

Liberal Arts Colleges

Williams College
Amherst College
Swarthmore College
Bowdoin College
Pomona College
Wellesley College
Carleton College
Claremont McKenna College
Harvey Mudd College
Vassar College
Barnard College
Davidson College
Wesleyan University
Smith College
Hamilton College
Grinnell College
Middlebury College
Washington and Lee University
Colgate University
University of Richmond
Haverford College
Colby College
Bates College
Macalester College
College of the Holy Cross
Bryn Mawr College
Colorado College
Bucknell University
Franklin and Marshall College
Lafayette College
Mount Holyoke College
Occidental College
Denison University
Pitzer College
Skidmore College
Trinity College
Spelman College
Trinity University
Union College
Scripps College
Dickinson College
Furman University
Kenyon College
Soka University of America
The University of the South (Sewanee)
DePauw University
Hillsdale College
St. Olaf College
Wheaton College (IL)
Whitman College
Connecticut College
Gettysburg College
Oberlin College
Wabash College
Centre College
Rhodes College
St. Lawrence University
Agnes Scott College
Reed College
Thomas Aquinas College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Principia College
Wofford College
Lawrence University
Bard College
College of St. Benedict
Muhlenberg College
Earlham College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Wheaton College (MA)
College of Wooster
Lake Forest College
Willamette University
Allegheny College
St Johns University (MN)
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Knox College
Southwestern University
St. John's College (MD)
Stonehill College
Ursinus College
Juniata College
Washington and Jefferson College
Beloit College
University of Puget Sound
Washington College
Augustana College
Hampden-Sydney College
Lewis & Clark College
Sarah Lawrence College
Bennington College
St.

Tips for Using the Common App

Since you’re likely to have some Common App schools on your college list, you’ll want to thoroughly understand how to use it. There are plenty of CollegeAdvisor resources to help you navigate the Common App with ease. One such research is the webinar: Common App Deep Dive. In this webinar, one of our admissions experts shares valuable knowledge about the different parts of the Common App. Another useful webinar is Applying with the Common App. This webinar walks you through how to optimize various parts of the Common App, such as the academics and activities section. Since so many Common App schools require the Common Application essay, understanding how to write the best Common Application essay possible is key to helping your applications stand out.

Conclusion

To recap, the Common App is a widely used college application platform that helps students apply to thousands of colleges and universities across the country. While we didn’t share an exhaustive list of Common App schools (there are over 1,000!), we did look at various Common App schools list, such as some national universities and liberal arts colleges. Additionally, we saw a list of 75 top universities that use the Common App. Additionally, we learned plenty about how to use the Common App and some of its many benefits. Most notably, the Common App allows you to fill out certain information only once to send to various schools. But remember that there is no single Common App deadline, rather each school will have its own Common App deadline. However, you can keep track of your deadlines, requirements, and letters of recommendation on the platform.

The Common Application is the most widely used college application platform - and for good reason. It was created to make the college admissions process more accessible, and it still does that today with over 1,100 participating schools and fee waivers for students who qualify. If you have questions about the Common App or any part of the application process, don’t hesitate to connect with an admissions expert at CollegeAdvisor.

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