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For both students and their parents, the college application process may be time-consuming and demanding. Teenagers may be balancing their final year of high school, the SAT or ACT, college visits (if offered), and applications to several universities. To make this process easier, Common Application is an undergraduate college admission form that candidates can use to submit their applications to any of the more than 950 member institutions located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, China, Japan, and numerous European nations. Despite its widespread use, some families unfamiliar with the college application process may find Common App confusing. After going through this guide, parents and students can easily navigate the application.
When Does Common
App Open?
Every year on August 1, the Common Application’s new version goes live. Students should pay special attention to the timeframes for submitting their paperwork because there are differences in the deadlines for college applications.
For instance, the deadline for students applying for early action or early decision can be in November or December. In contrast, the deadline for those applying for regular decisions is typically January 1. Prospective students should use these ranges as guidelines and confirm deadlines with specific universities.
Students can begin working on Common App anytime, not only on August 1. They are always welcome to get started by setting up an account.
Creating a Common
App Account
Components of the
Application Process
How Long Does it Take to Fill
Out the Common App?
From the above components, you must have seen that applying the common app is a long-haul process. But typically, the time needed to complete an application varies depending on the needs of a school. However, students should give themselves at least six weeks to gather everything they need for college applications. That gives you two weeks to complete any background forms and around a month to gather the rest of the necessary paperwork.
It is important to note that many colleges ask first-year candidates to submit reference letters and transcripts in addition to any optional parental information required, such as employer details and educational background. Students must allow adequate time for professors and counselors to upload such documents on the common app before deadlines.
High school guidance counselors advise students to request recommendation letters from their professors before the conclusion of their junior year so that teachers can complete them over the summer. Experts advise seniors who require reference letters to request them as early in the academic year as possible.
What are the Common ‘Common App’
Essay Prompts?
Navigating the Common App and
Questions that May Arise
Students who need assistance filling out the application can speak with their high school counselors and the admission professionals at the institutions they are applying to. Several resources are available on the common app to aid the application process.
In addition to offering video tutorials throughout the program, the platform provides year-round, round-the-clock technical assistance. In the Student Solutions Center, applicants can submit a query or receive solutions to frequently asked questions. Representatives for Common App claim that while response times fluctuate, the typical wait time is 20 minutes.
Cost of Common App
and Fee Waivers
According to information provided by Common App, 48.9% of member institutions do not charge an application fee for first-year students, and the common app is free to use. Students must cover the expense of the application fee when submitting their applications to universities that charge one.
The application will allow applicants who meet the criteria established by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) to request fee waivers.
Any school to which a student applies will accept their request for a fee waiver if they mention their financial difficulties once on their application. Students should speak with their high school counselors or directly with the universities they are applying to if they have any doubts about whether they are eligible for fee waivers. Read this for further understanding.
How to Make Common
App Filling Easier
Apply early; do not wait until the last minute. Along with getting started early, it is advised for students to make use of the Common App preview, which enables them to check their applications before submitting them. Additionally, students can designate mentors who can view the specifics of an application and its development.