Common Application
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| Formation | 1975 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit NGO |
| Legal status | Public charity |
| Purpose | Higher-education application processing |
| Location | |
| Mission | Promoting access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. |
| Website | www |
The Common Application (informally known as the Common App) is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to any of 693 member colleges and universities in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Canada, China, and many European countries. Member colleges and universities that accept the Common App are made up of over 100 public universities, nine Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and over 250 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 13-member volunteer Board of Directors drawn from the ranks of college admission deans and secondary school college guidance 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 and standardized testing.
Member institutions may also require unique college-specific questions, and ask additional questions, with only two restrictions: 1) college-specific questions may not ask questions already asked on the Common Application (except identifying information like name, address, date of birth, etc.), and 2) college-specific questions may not ask questions that violate the NACAC Statement of Principles and Good Practice (such as "please rank order your college choices.").
There is a Common Application for first-year admission and a Common Application for transfer admission. Both versions allow the application to be filled out once online and submitted to all schools with the same information going to each. Once the application is submitted to a college online, it cannot be changed for that college; the student must contact the college directly if he or she wishes to correct an error or provide more information. The Common Application also allows the student to submit and track other components of his or her application such as supplements, payments, and school forms. 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.
Of the Common Application's nearly 700 members, about one-third are "exclusive users" that use the Common Application as their only admissions application online or in print (listed here). If the member has a separate application, they are required to give equal consideration to applicants using either form as a condition of membership.
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