Common App

Deciding where to go to college can be overwhelming. So here are 3 things to help your student when considering where to go 💭 Remind them it’s about how colleges fit their needs, not the other way around.

Meet our first-ever cohort of Common App Student Content Creators: Siyona, Hector, and Xiomara 💫 You’ll see them on our socials showing us their college experiences and advice for students on their own college application journey 🎓 Follow along on Instagram and TikTok!

Join us next week for the last installment of our Counselor Conversations series this spring! Our Data Analytics and Research team joins the conversation led by our Education & Training team to help show how data can guide your work by discovering all the insights into higher education trends or application activity within your own caseload! 📅 Tuesday, April 28 ⏰ 11–11:45am ET 📝 Registration link in comments

Loans can be confusing for students, but a crucial aspect of the financial aid process to understand clearly. As students start receiving financial aid offers, let them know 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. Borrowing responsibly can make college affordable and life 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 college manageable. And it starts now by choosing the loan right for them. Loans with lower interest rates cost less over time, and federal loans often have the lowest interest rates: 💵 Subsidized federal loans don’t gather interest while in school, so these are the best options 📈Unsubsidized loans do gather interest while in school, but are good secondary options. Also remind them that Common App can match them to scholarships! Learn more about our paying for college resource is linked in our comments 💬

📢 Common App tip! 📢 Did you know that students can apply to scholarships by using our scholarship matching feature on Common App? To get started with scholarship matching, they just need to fill out the profile and education questions in the “My Common Application” section of their Common App account. That’s it! Common App will start automatically matching students with scholarships that they are eligible for.   Remember: Students can get matched with scholarships at any point in the year, so remind them to keep logging in even after submitting applications! For more info on paying for college, visit our page linked in the comments.

ICYMI: Our CEO, Jenny Rickard, wrote an op-ed in US News about the current state of college admissions 📰 Here are some of our favorite mic-drop moments: 🎤 “Applying to college has always been a scary process. And while the medium has changed, the mania has only intensified.” 🎤 "We are not suffering from a lack of seats, but from a culture that equates exclusivity with excellence." 🎤 “Online applications may have made it simpler to apply, but they have not changed the underlying system in which students feel they are submitting their worth for judgment rather than launching their future.” 🎤 “It’s time to build a new system that treats every student as a welcomed guest rather than a combatant in a manufactured war for prestige.” College is for everyone, so let’s work together and remind students of that. Read the full op ed linked in our comments!

What’s next for Common App? In February, we hosted our Annual Updates preview, bringing together 770+ participants from member institutions to share what’s coming next. These updates are shaped directly by member feedback and focused on making the application experience simpler, clearer, and more inclusive for students. Here are a few highlights: 💫 Smarter application flow. New logic to help streamline the process and reduce friction for students ❓ Clearer, more inclusive questions. Updates like improved citizenship status language and better support for independent learners 🛠️ More intuitive configuration tools. Custom platform members will have a new, easier way to manage screen logic across both Common App and member questions 💲 More flexibility around fee waivers. Starting June 2026, members can indicate whether they accept Common App fee waivers for U.S. students, all students, or none The 2026–2027 cycle is open! 🗓️ Member Agreement amendments due: April 16 🗓️ Member Agreement submission deadline: May 15 These updates reflect a shared goal: making the application process work better for both students and institutions.

Today, we’re sharing our Next Chapter 2026 Impact Report! We’ve passionately been working on closing the income gap in college access by evening the proportion of applicants from below-median and above-median income communities. And during the 2024-2025 application cycle, we reached over 𝟒𝟕𝟏𝐤 low- and middle-income students! Our progress is steady and reflects a possible pathway to continue to strive and eventually reach our moonshot 💫 Explore the full report and the impact we’re making linked in our comments!

We are so excited to announce the new colleges you can apply to on Common App 🥳 Screenshot this post to scan the QR code… you don’t want to miss this!

For the first time, Common App is exhibiting at AACC and we’re excited to meet the leaders shaping the future of access! We believe community colleges are essential to expanding access, and they should be fully represented in the college exploration process — not discovered by chance. Millions of students come to Common App each year to consider their options, and many are still unaware of the opportunities community colleges offer. That’s a gap we’re working to close. We’re here to connect, share what we’re building, and talk about how community colleges can show up more prominently where students are already searching. Stop by Booth #45, we’d value the conversation! Booth hours: 🌟 Sat 4/11: 6–7p 💙 Sun 4/12: 10–11a, 2–3p, 5–6p ✏️ Mon 4/13: 10:30–11:30a, 2–3p, 4–5p