Types of College Application Forms

Each of these application choices has similar components. Some colleges accept all of them and you are free to choose which one you submit. If you are applying to a college with multiple application choices, you may want to contact the college and see if they have a preference. However, most admissions officers will tell you that the application you choose will not give you an advantage or be a disadvantage; so, choose the one that provides the best means of selling yourself to the college. 

The Common App

The Common App offers students the ability to complete just one application for multiple colleges. Students are then able to send this one application to any college that is a Common App member. Currently, there are nearly 900 member colleges. 

The Common App consists of several components: the college essay, recommendation letters, an extracurricular activities list, optional supplemental questions, standardized test scores, and the high school transcript. It is an online application that offers students the capability to complete and edit their application before submitting it to multiple member colleges. The Common App now has a “rollover” feature that allows students to open an account anytime during high school. 

College Specific Applications

Some colleges, offer a separate application specific to their institution. Most colleges who offer their own application will also accept the Common Application. These colleges typically do not have a preference which application a student chooses to submit, though it is recommended to contact each college individually to ask if the admissions office has a preference of application type. If no preference, then the Common App would be just fine. 

Example: University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign

The Coalition App

The Coalition App, developed by the Coaltion for Access, Affordibility and Success is relatively new and now has close to 90 member colleges.  This is the only application that requires member institutions to meet a set of standards. All member institutions must have a graduation rate of 70 percent or more in six years, and they must offer need-based financial aid.

The goal of this application is let students work in a platform that helps them organize a portfolio early in high school. Students can begin preparing for their applications at any grade in high school and store all components of the application online in a virtual “locker.” Students can also collaborate with mentors during their high school career by sharing materials in their locker. Students will then be able to add these items to their application and submit them with the application.

System-Shared Applications

Some state college systems share a general application that students can submit to all the colleges within the state system. The State University of New York (SUNY) and the University of California are examples of this type of application. Students can apply to multiple schools within the colleges’ system using one application. If a student stays within this system of colleges, it makes sense to use this application type. However, if a student is applying to more colleges outside the system, they would most likely use the Common App. 

SchooLinks

Once you have solidified your college list and determined the application type, you will need to add your schools to the "Colleges Applications" manager in SchooLinks.  This allows your Counselor and Teachers to submit your college materials (official transcript, rec letters, fee waivers) electronically to your schools.  

Common App Account Matching

Connecting your Common App account requires the following steps be completed before you can make full use of Common App in SchooLinks:

Please follow these step-by-step instructions here. 

FAQs

How do I request college application fee waivers?

College application fee waivers are available to students who are on free/reduced lunch. Follow these steps to request: 

What is the FERPA Waiver?

The FERPA waiver only waives your right to access your recommendation letters after you've been accepted to and enrolled in a college. It's common practice for recommendation letters to be kept confidential in admissions procedures. Your recommenders may still let you see their letters before they send them—that's totally up to them. As long as you're thoughtful about choosing recommenders who are supportive and know you well (and help them out with a detailed brag sheet), you can rest easy knowing your recommenders want to support you and help you get into college. The FERPA waiver is probably the easiest part of your application. Just go ahead and click yes!