Each university has individual application deadlines. Contact colleges you are interested in and find out their deadlines. Applications are generally available online (electronic) or in a hard copy version, and there is usually an application fee that is non-refundable.
Common Application
The Common Application is a not-for-profit organization that serves students and member institutions by providing an admission application – online and in print – that students may submit to any of our 456 members.
Why use it?
Once completed online or in print, copies of the Application for Undergraduate Admission can be sent to any number of participating colleges. The same is true of the School Report, Optional Report, Midyear Report, Final Report and Teacher Evaluation forms. This allows you to spend less time on the busywork of applying for admission, and more time on what's really important: college research, visits, essay writing, and senior year coursework.
Is it widely used?
Absolutely! Millions of Common Applications are printed and accepted by our members each year. In addition, last year almost 2.5 million applications were submitted via the Common App Online.
Is it treated fairly?
YES! College and university members have worked together over the past 35 years to develop the application. All members fully support its use, and all give equal consideration to the Common Application and the college's own form. Many of our members use the Common Application as their only undergraduate admission application.
Can all colleges participate?
Membership is limited to colleges and universities that evaluate students using a holistic selection process. A holistic process includes subjective as well as objective criteria, including at least one recommendation form, at least one untimed essay, and broader campus diversity considerations. The vast majority of colleges and universities in the US use only objective criteria – grades and test scores – and therefore are not eligible to join. If a college or university is not listed on this website, they are not members of the consortium. Sending the Common Application to non-members is prohibited.
What is the common app online school forms system?
As part of the application process, schools require a variety of information to be provided by teachers and guidance counselors who have interacted with you in the high school environment. Until last year, those forms were only available as PDF files that could be printed, copied, and mailed to the appropriate colleges. Now each teacher and counselor will have the option to complete the forms online via the
Common App Online School Forms system if they desire. There is no cost to you or high schools, and using the online system is completely optional for your teachers and counselor.
When you create an account on the Common App Online, you must first indicate what high school you attend. Once this information has been saved, you can access a 'School Forms' section of the Common App where teachers and counselors can be identified. By adding a teacher or counselor to the list of school officials, an email is triggered to the teacher or counselor with information about how to log into the Online School Forms system or how to opt for the "offline" or paper process. You are then able to track the progress of your various teachers and counselors via a screen within the Common App Online.
What if I'm a transfer student?
There's a Common Application for Transfer Admission as well as First-Year Admission. The Transfer Application is available primarily for online submission.
Official Transcripts
You must submit all college transcripts. Some universities require an official high school transcript as well. SRC transcripts may be requested through Transcripts on Demand at the following link:
https://iwantmytranscript.com/src.
Personal Essay
Most universities require a personal essay. It’s important to write a different essay for each school you are applying to. The Academic Student Success center can assist you in the creative process in the writing statement.
Financial Aid Application
Make sure you complete a
FAFSA or add your university’s school code to your FAFSA as soon after January 1st as possible. Contact their financial aid office a few weeks later to see what the next step is in financial aid. Most likely you will need to provide documentation to process your financial aid, similar to what you did at Spoon River College.
Scholarship Applications
Visit the college’s website for additional scholarship opportunities and check application deadlines because they tend to be in early spring. Generally the FAFSA must have been completed prior to applying for scholarships.
