Common Application

Last updated
Common Application Inc.
Formation1975;49 years ago (1975)
Type Non-profit NGO
Legal status Public charity
Purpose Higher-education application processing
Headquarters Arlington, Virginia, United States
President & CEO
Jenny Rickard
Website www.commonapp.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Common Application (more commonly known as the Common App) is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to over 1,000 member colleges and universities in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, China, Japan, and many European countries. [1] [2]

Contents

Member colleges and universities that accept the Common App are made up of over 250 public universities, 12 historically black colleges and universities, and over 400 institutions that do not require an application fee. It is managed by the staff of a not-for-profit membership association (The Common Application, Inc.) and governed by a 18-member volunteer Board of Directors drawn from the ranks of college admission deans and secondary school college counselors. Its mission is to promote access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process, which includes subjective factors gleaned from essays and recommendations alongside more objective criteria such as class rank. [3]

Membership

Of the Common Application's over 1,000 member institutions, [2] about one-third are "exclusive users" that use the Common Application as their only admissions application online or in print (listed https://www.commonapp.org/explore/). If the member has a separate proprietary application, they are required to give equal consideration to applicants using either form as a condition of membership. [4]

Digital application system

There are different Common Applications for first-year admission and transfer admission. [5] The application is filled out once online and can be submitted to all schools of the applicant's choosing, with the same information going to different schools. Some schools require supplemental materials, such as essays, that are specific to that school. [6] Once the application is submitted to a college online, it cannot be changed for that college; the student must contact the college directly if they wish to correct an error or provide more information. [7] The Common Application also allows the student to submit and track other components of their application such as supplemental questions, recommendation letters, application fees, and school forms. [8] Students may also roll over their account information within the Common App tab of the dashboard from year to year, using the same user name and password. [9]

The Common Application allows applicants to self-report standardized test scores (including the SAT and ACT) and international educational qualifications (such as GCE A-levels or the Baccalauréat). [10] [11]

Competition

The Universal College Application was started in 2007 [6] and, as of December 2023, had 2 participating institutions. [12]

The Coalition Application was created by a consortium of 80 colleges and universities known as the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success, in September 2015. [13] [14] By 2019, the organization was renamed the Coalition for College; [15] that year around 150 universities participated. [16] The Coalition application was created in an attempt to facilitate a holistic process of application, and includes "lockers" where students can create a portfolio starting in 9th grade. [14] [17]

The Common Black College Application (CBCA) was started in 1998 to facilitate the process of applying to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Students are able to complete the CBCA and apply to any number of the 67 participating colleges (as of 2022) at the same time for a fee that is typically $20. [18]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Explore colleges using Common App | Common App". www.commonapp.org.
  2. 1 2 "Common App launches 2022-2023 application with more than 1,000 colleges and universities". www.commonapp.org. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  3. ↑ "First Year Deadlines, Fees and Requirements" (PDF). Common Application.
  4. ↑ "Common Application Membership Requirements". Archived from the original on Feb 10, 2014.
  5. ↑ "First-year vs. transfer Common Applications". Common Application member support. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  6. 1 2 Zipkin, Amy (2010-11-05). "There's More Than One Way to Apply to College". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  7. ↑ "Can I make a change to a submitted application?". Common Application member support. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  8. ↑ "Application guide for first-year students". Common App. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  9. ↑ "What is account rollover?". Common Application applicant support. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  10. ↑ "Understanding the Testing section in the Common App" (PDF). Common Application. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Setting Up Your Common Application" (PDF). US-UK Fulbright Commission. 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Colleges". Universal College Application. ApplicationsOnline, LLC. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  13. ↑ Jaschik, Scott (September 28, 2015). "Admissions Revolution". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  14. 1 2 Jaschik, Scott (November 24, 2019). "Waiting for the Coalition Application to Improve". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  15. ↑ Jaschik, Scott (May 5, 2019). "Leaving the Coalition". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  16. ↑ "Application meant to simplify college admissions actually makes schools more selective, study shows, including some in Washington". The Seattle Times. 2019-11-27. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  17. ↑ Hoover, Eric (1 August 2016). "The 'Coalition' Application Has Arrived". Chronicle of Higher Education . Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  18. ↑ Johns, Greta Anderson (2022-12-01). "D11 students can apply to HBCUs for free". Colorado Springs Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
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