The Common Application (informally known as the Common App) is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to any of over 800 member colleges and universities in 48 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. 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 encourage the use of "holistic admission" a process that includes subjective factors gleaned from essays and recommendations alongside more objective criteria such as class rank and standardized testing.

Member institutions may also require a "Common App Supplement," and ask additional questions and/or require additional writing from applicants.

For more information and to open your Common App account, click here. The Common Application for college study which will begin in the Fall of 2019 is available online as of early August 2018.  Don't delay getting started.  It looks easy at first glance, but you'll find that completing the Common App in a professional manner takes quite a lot of time.  Remember to have SOMEONE (a parent or teacher?) read through your applications/essays before you click 'send'!

The Coalition Application is yet another way to apply to some colleges.  Many diverse public and private colleges and universities have come together to improve the college admission application process for all students.  This Coalition has developed a free platform of online tools to streamline the experience of applying to college.  The platform, including applications for admission to Coalition schools, is now available for students in high school. With the Coalition platform, you can find out more about Coalition schools, share your locker with counselors, teachers, and mentors, and submit applications with ease. 

In addition, the Coalition institutions are committed to broadening access and increasing affordability of higher education for students of all backgrounds. Students and their families have access to free support from Admissions and Financial Aid personnel at individual institutions. We want you to have the confidence that once admitted to any Coalition school, you can afford to attend.

Coalition members believe that students should be empowered at every step in the application process—including when they choose which application best suits their needs. Some Coalition members will exclusively use the Coalition App, while many other Coalition members will accept applications from a number of sources. Admissions offices do not provide preferential treatment to applicants based on which of their approved technological platforms they decide to use to create and submit their application.  Click HERE to connect to the Coalition App.