Common Application Guide for Students

What is the Common Application?

The Common Application is used by over 500 American universities. It is somewhat akin
to UCAS, in that you will save time by being able to complete information and essays that
you can submit to multiple universities. However, bear in mind that approximately two-thirds
of universities ask for supplemental information and/or essays.

You can access the Common Application Online (https://www.commonapp.org/), as well as

a list of universities (https://www.commonapp.org/Login#!s/MemberLookup) requiring the
Common Application and their deadlines. You may also find out the universities requiring
supplements and what they are
(https://www.commonapp.org/Login#!PublicPages/ApplicationRequirements).

1. Registration

The first step to completing the Common Application is registering with the Common
Application website (www.commonapp.org).

When registering, use a professional email address (example: [email protected]

would not be appropriate. [email protected] would be appropriate) as universities
will be able to see it. When typing your phone number, enter the country code (044 for the
UK) at the beginning and don’t use any dashes or spaces.
When typing
your phone
number, enter
the country code
(+44 for the UK)
at the beginning
and use no
dashes or spaces.

Always say “yes” to both questions, as

you want the admissions office to be
able to communicate via email.

Leave State/Province blank if you live outside of the United States

2. Email Confirmation

After registering, you will be sent a confirmation email, like the one shown below. Make sure
to write down your username and password, as you can sign in and out of the Common
Application as many times as you like, saving your work each time. As you can see in the
email, your password is not included. Because you will generate your own password, try to
make it something you can easily remember.

Tip: Keep a list of logins

and passwords related
to your US applications!
You will not be able to
complete multiple
applications with
similar information, so
it’s vital that you know
your login details.
 3. Instructions

After logging in, be sure to explore the Help Center toolbar along the right-
hand side of the home page dashboard, which has helpful information on
how to complete your application. If you click the small red arrow, you will
be taken to the Help Centre website with fantastic FAQs and Training
Resources to help you navigate the Common Application. Also read
Fulbright’s webpage with general information and tips on terminology
differences (http://www.fulbright.org.uk/study-in-the-usa/undergraduate-
study/applying/common-application). Familiarise yourself with the Common
Application website, and use the tabs along the top of the screen to move
between sections.

4. My Colleges

Under “My Colleges”, you will select the colleges to which you will apply. Remember that the
words “college” and “university” both refer to places of postsecondary education in American
English. In order to populate the “My Colleges” section, you will need to select the colleges
you wish to attend using the “College Search” tool.

Tip: Add all of the

colleges you’re
thinking of applying to
in order to get email
alerts. You can always
go back and add or
remove if you change
your mind.

Search for Colleges

The “College Search” tool is also useful if you aren’t sure which universities you are
interested in (shown below). You can search by state, area, deadlines and more. You can
also see profiles of the colleges if you want additional information.
Once you input your criteria, your search will generate a Result list.

You can use your Result List to investigate the colleges further. If you click on the university
name, you will see that university’s profile. Along the left-hand side, you will be able to
explore that profile in depth, including aspects like Application Process, Financial Aid,
Majors, Campus Life, etc.

Note that deadlines

are written in US
format – mm/dd/yyyy

This deadline is 01
November 2014.

If after exploring the profile you decide you’d like to apply to this university, you must go
back to your Result List, tick the “Select” box and then select “Add”. It will now be
available in your “My Colleges” section.

Once you add that university, return to the “College Search” tab to add any additional
universities to which you plan to apply.

Keep in mind that only over 500 Common Application member universities are profiled, and
there are over 4,000 institutions offering undergraduate degrees in the United States. For
more comprehensive university search engines see the Fulbright website
(http://www.fulbright.org.uk/study-in-the-usa/undergraduate-study/choosing-
universities/resources) for suggestions.

While there is no limit to the number of universities you can apply to, we recommend you
focus on 6 - 8 carefully selected universities including a mix of reach, match and
safety/insurance universities. See our section on Choosing Universities
(http://www.fulbright.org.uk/study-in-the-usa/undergraduate-study/choosing-universities) for
more on types of universities and factors to consider.

5. Common App

Before exploring your “My Colleges” tab, you should consider completing information about
yourself in the “Common App” tab. There are six main sections, which can be found on the
left-hand sidebar: Profile, Family, Education, Testing, Activities and Writing. Remember that
the benefit of the Common Application is that you will only have to complete this information
once for all of the universities you want to apply to.
6. Profile

Once you click on the “Profile” section, you will see sub-categories. As you complete each
sub-category and click the “Continue” button, a small green check will appear on that tab to
indicate that you have submitted all required information.

In the “Contact Details” subcategory, make sure to enter your mobile or home number
without any spaces or dashes.

Tip! Double check

to make sure all
your contact
information is
correct, as the
university may use
this to set up an
interview.

In the “Demographics” sub-category, these questions are for statistical purposes and to
demonstrate diversity. It is okay to leave them blank if you’re uncomfortable filling them in.

In the “Geography” sub-category, select “0” for the “Number of years you have lived in the
United States” if you’ve never lived in the USA. For the “Number of years you have lived
outside of the United States”, select the number that corresponds with your age.

As you proceed through the sub-categories, you will notice that the tips provided
under the Help Center toolbar will change according to the section you are in. For
example, in the “Language” sub-category, you are asked to list the number of languages you
are proficient in, and the help center toolbar provides an answer about what proficiency
means for the Common Application purposes.
In the “Citizenship” sub-category, you will be asked to provide information about your
background. If you hold a US Dual citizenship, select “Dual,” and you will then be asked to
provide your Social Security number as well as your non-US country of citizenship from a
drop down menu. Select “Other (Non-US)” as your citizenship if you do not hold a US or US
Dual citizenship. (Note: if you hold dual citizenship between two non-US countries, you
should select “Other (Non-US)” and then select both of your citizenships in the drop-down
bar.)

If you select “Other (Non-US)” for your citizenship status, you will then be asked to select
your citizenship from the drop-down bar.

7. Family

In this section you will be providing information on your family and their education. As you
know, the US admission process is holistic, taking into account a range of factors in addition
to your academics. This information will provide some context about your background for the
admissions office. Note that “college” in American English is synonymous with “university.”
 The first sub-category in the Family section is about your household. This section allows you
to categorise the relationship your parents have. You will then provide additional information
about your parents individually in the next two
sub-categories.

If you live with only one

parent, be sure that the
information you provide for
“Parent 1” below matches up
with answer you provided in
this “Household” section!

You will be required to select Parent 1’s highest educational level from a dropdown menu.

Here is a helpful chart of conversions between US and UK terms:

US options found on the Common App UK equivalents

Grade school Primary school
Some high school Some secondary school, perhaps to the
equivalent of GCSEs
High school diploma or equivalent Completed secondary school to A-level or
equivalent
Business or trade school Vocational certification or equivalent
College University degree

If you indicate that Parent 1 was educated to college level (university), you will then be
asked questions about that university.

When you click on “Find College,” a new screen will pop up that allows you to search for the
institution by name, country or city.
Complete the rest of the section for both parents/legal guardians and any siblings.

8. Education

Under Education, you will submit information about your current school or sixth form college.

In selecting school representatives, you will choose two teachers and one guidance
counsellor to support your applications.

Note the teacher and guidance counsellor cannot be the same person, and they will have
access to different forms.

The guidance counsellor will submit a school profile, transcript and evaluation on you
performance in a broader manner through the School/Final Reports. The two teachers you
select will submit a more specific recommendation letter primarily about your academics and
potential.

We recommend that you use your Head of Careers, Head of Sixth Form or
Housemaster/mistress as the counsellor and that two current teachers complete your
teacher references. Make sure to inform them in advance, and make sure that the email
address you submit is correct. Login information for the forms will be sent out to them via
email through the Common App system (you do not have to send the forms to them
yourself), so it is vital that you have the correct information.

Collectively, the referees should reinforce and elaborate on how the student meets the
university's (holistic) admissions criteria, including academic performance and potential,
extracurriculars and leadership ability, character, etc. However, if it would add significantly to
the application package, the student can submit an additional reference from someone who
knows the student from an extracurricular perspective for example.

As before, when you click on “Find School,” a new screen will pop up that allows you to
search for the institution by name, address, country or city.
If your school is not already on the list, you can select the option that says “I don’t see my
high school on this list”, and you will able to manually input your school’s information. Please
note, that if you are inputting your school’s details, the American term “public” is equivalent
to the UK term “state school,” and a “charter school” would be most similar to an “academy”
or “free school” in the UK.

For “Graduation Date”, enter the date you will receive or did receive final results for A-levels,
IB, etc.

For the “Other school” section, please complete information for any secondary school you
have attended since Year 10 in the UK. If you have not changed schools since Year 10,
select “0” to indicate this.

Under “Education Interruption,” if applicable, choose the option that best applies to you. If
you have not had any interruptions or delays in your education don’t tick any of the boxes.
Note that GED is a US High School equivalency exam.

For the “College & Universities” section, keep in mind that the American term “course” is the
equivalent of “classes” or “modules” and that the American term “colleges” is used to mean
“universities.” Also note that ninth grade is equivalent to Year 10 in the UK.

They will then ask you to list any community programmes that have helped you with your
application. If none, leave these blank.
In the section titled “Grades,” Graduating Class Size is
the number of students in your year group. Please note
that you may leave the class rank and GPA questions
blank if your school does not provide these.

For “Current Year Courses” (qualifications and

subjects), you should first select the number of modules
you will receive results for in Year 13, such as A-levels,
Scottish Higher/Advanced Higher, BTEC, Pre-U, IB or
the equivalent. Then for each module, list your subject
title. If one of your courses has a level designation that
is not included in the choice list, please include the
level as part of the Course title (for example: “A-level
French”). For IB, note which subjects are Higher and
Standard.

For the question “How many courses would you like to

report?”, courses is a term used by American high
schools and universities, and unless you go to an
American or international school, it is likely to not be
applicable. If it does not apply to you, the best advice
we have is to put “1”. (Though several universities have
noted, it does not actually matter what you put as the
course credit value, since they realise it is not applicable for many UK students).

For selecting the course scheduling system your institution is using, there is the option of
either “semester” or “trimester.” Some US secondary schools are on a trimester system;
though, most UK schools will be on a semester system. Please check with your institution if
you are unsure.

For “Course 1 Schedule”, if your subjects will be the same for all three terms (all year), tick
the option for “Full Year”. If you will change modules through the year, select the appropriate
term length for each course you report.

Under “Honors,” submit information about any

academic honours you have received. When
filling out this section, please note that
Grade Level 9, 10, 11 and 12 will
correspond to British Year 10, 11, 12 and 13
(GCSEs and A-levels). Like above, you will
first select how many honours you have
received before expanding on each one. In this
section, you will only place the title of the
honours. You will have 150 characters in the
"details, honors, and accomplishments" field in
the “Activities” section if you want to provide
further information. You will also be asked for the “Level(s) of Recognition” and will be able
to click more than one box if the honours is recognized at more than one level.

For the “Future Plans" section, it’s OK to be undecided about your career interests under the
liberal arts philosophy followed in the US system. While there is not an undecided choice,
“other” is an option.
9. Testing

Under Testing, you can report your best (super-scored) SAT or ACT scores. If you don’t
have your scores before you submit the

application, you will enter the dates when you

will take the exams. Please note that even
though you are entering the scores into the
Common Application, you will still need to
send your official scores directly from
College Board or ACT to the colleges where
you are applying. Note that SAT Subject Tests
are not required by the majority of US
universities but generally are required by the
most competitive universities. Check with each
individual university regarding what admissions
tests they require.

When you select “Yes” to self-report your

standardised test scores, you will be able to
select ALL the tests you’ve taken or expect to
take from a drop-down menu.

Once you select a test from the drop-

down menu, a new section will appear
at the bottom of the screen with that
test’s name. When you click on that section,
you will then be able to provide your scores

You may wish to clarify with the universities

you are applying to, but to the best of our
knowledge, you would only tick that you
have taken leaving exams if you are
finished with your A levels. If you click
“yes”, a new section will appear at the bottom
of the screen named “Senior Secondary
Leaving Examinations”. When you click on
that section, you will then be able to enter your
details and your score
10. Activities

Under Activities, report any extracurricular

activities you have completed in school or
in your community. A few examples:
school clubs or activities, school
leadership roles (Head Boy/Girl), sports
you participate in at school or
recreationally, arts lessons or
performances, voluntary service, work
experience and internships. In the drop
down menu from which you choose your
activity, JV/Varsity means that it was a
High School level team (equivalent to the
last four years of secondary school in
British education) as opposed to a
professional or recreational team. If you
can’t find your activity, choose “Other
Club/Activity” and then you will be able to
type it in yourself. Also note that on the
application, Grade Level 9, 10, 11, and
12 correspond to British Years 10, 11,
12 and 13 (GCSE years and Sixth Form).

Your response in the ‘Position/Leadership’

section will be limited to 50 characters.

In choosing to add more activities to your

applications (you can include up to 10
activities), you may wish to re-order them
at the end in order of importance, with the
most important as Activity 1. You can do
so using the Up and Down arrows in the
top right corner of the
activity box.

11. Writing

In this section, you will

have a personal essay
to complete that will be
sent to all of the
universities that you
apply for through the
Common Application.

Keep in mind that

approximately two-thirds
of Common Application
member universities will
also want you to
complete writing
supplements, some of
which will include
additional essay topics.
The supplements will be unique for each individual university and are located within each
university application in the “My Colleges” section.

You may wish to check the Supplement section for each college you’re applying to, and
consider all of the essays and the personal essay together to ensure that you are not
repeating yourself and that they are complementary to each other.

Note that for the personal essay, this will be seen by all colleges you apply for. Do not make
your personal essay specific to one college as you will be able to do that in the supplements.
See Fulbright’s website with sample essays and essay writing tips
(http://www.fulbright.co.uk/study-in-the-usa/undergraduate-study/applying/essays) for
additional information.

Be sure that you follow the directions outlined in the essay introduction and that you select
the essay that you will be answering.

As with all pages on the application, be sure to take advantage of the Help Center tool
on the right-hand side of the page for additional helpful information!

In the “Disciplinary History” section, you will have to provide information about any
discrepancies or negative circumstances that may have affected your marks or
extracurricular involvement. If you answer “Yes” to either receiving a disciplinary violation at
an educational institution or ever being adjudicated guilty or convicted of a misdemeanor,
felony, or other crime, a new section will appear at the bottom of the screen called “Required
Explanation.” You will need to click on that section to provide additional information about
the incident.

In the “Additional Information” section, you will have the opportunity to provide information
about any circumstances or qualifications not reflected elsewhere in the application.

13. My Colleges (Continued)

Now that you’ve completed the actual application, you will be able to finish your university
selections. In order to submit your application, you must first complete the university-specific
questions and assign your recommenders for each college. You may also be required to
complete a university-specific supplement for those that require them.

Questions:

The questions in this section will vary from university to university. You should answer them
as best as possible, and we’ve tried to provide guidance for the questions you’re likely to
see.

1) The first subcategory under the “Questions” section is titled “General”. Here you will need
to select your “Preferred Admission Plan” to decide whether to apply Early Decision,
Restrictive Early Action, Early Action, Regular Decision (autumn admissions) or Regular
Decision (spring admissions). Some universities will only have a few of these options, or
they may have them all. The admission plan options are:

A. Rolling admissions - Students can apply over a set period of time (typically August to
spring), and admission decisions will be made on a rolling basis. It is still suggested that
applicants still apply early (October/November) if possible. This type of deadline is non-
binding and non-restrictive.

B. Regular decision - Students typically apply by 1 January in anticipation of an admissions

decision by 1 April. This type of deadline is non-binding and non-restrictive. Students may
apply to as many universities in the US as they choose under regular decision policies.
C. Early action - Students typically apply by 1 November in anticipation of an admissions
decision by 15 December. This type of deadline is non-binding AND non-restrictive.
Students may apply to as many universities in the US as they choose under early action
policies.

D. Restrictive early action - Like early action, students typically apply by 1 November in
anticipation of an admissions decision by 15 December. This type of deadline is non-
binding. Generally speaking, you can only apply to one university restrictive early action,
and this will be your only early application in the US. There may be exceptions in the
university policy (check on their admissions page) such as allowing you to apply early to
state universities with a non-binding, rolling admissions policy or to universities where the
university application is considered for scholarships must be submitted earlier than 15
December.

However, check for restrictions in the university policies on whether you can apply to
other universities while you have a restrictive early action application out. You can
also refer to the Common Application’s Decision Plan Rules Handout
(https://appsupport.commonapp.org/link/portal/33011/33013/Article/1176/Decision-Plans).

E. Early decision - There are two early decision deadlines: ED1 in November and the
slightly less common ED2 in January. These are more common at private liberal arts
colleges. Like early action, ED1 students typically apply by 1 November in anticipation of an
admissions decision by 15 December. Early decision is also somewhat restrictive in that
you cannot apply to more than one university early decision, but you may be able to apply to
others early action at the same time. (Unless as stated above, the university you would like
to apply to via early action has restrictions.)

Early decision applications are binding. You should think very carefully before applying
to a university early decision. You, your school counsellor and your parent will sign an
early decision agreement certifying that you understand the terms of early decision. The
early decision university should be your first choice (worldwide) and if accepted, you will
withdraw all other applications (worldwide) and attend that university. The only exception is
if you apply for financial aid and do not receive sufficient aid to take up your offer.

You may only submit one early decision application in the ED1 and/or ED2 rounds. You
should certainly apply to other universities in the UK at the same time to keep all options
open, but know that you will need to decline your UCAS offers if admitted early
decision in the US.

Once you select “Early Decision” as your “Preferred Admission Plan”, you will be prompted
to sign the Early Decision (ED) Agreement.

Once you’ve submitted your ED signature, your counsellor will receive a prompt in their
account, letting them know you are applying Early Decision. This prompt will ask them to
confirm that as your counsellor, he/she has advised you to abide by the Early Decision
commitment.

Also, in the “Assign Recommenders” tab, you will now see a new section at the bottom for
your parent. Again, this will only be required to do this if you are applying Early Decision.

Please note that each university can set their own application deadlines but generally follow
a common pattern:

 Early admission applications: October – November (for entry the next autumn)

 Regular admission applications: January – March (for entry the next autumn)

 Spring admission applications: October – November (for January entry)

Also in the “General” section, you may find a question about need-based financial aid.
Some universities do take financial need into account when making their admissions
decision for international students, and we encourage you to be honest so that you are
considered for financial aid if you need it to study in the United States. Only tick ‘yes’ if the
institution does provide financial aid to international students and you are expecting to apply
for it.

If asked, you will also select that you intend to be a full-time student, since you must be
full-time if you are studying on an F visa.

Some universities will have a “Preferred residence during your first year” question which is
just to help the university with planning, and you will have a chance to explore housing
options more fully upon admission.

2.) The second subcategory under the “Questions” section is titled “Academics”. Again
these questions will vary from university to university, but they will likely ask what
major/course/academic interest you are likely to pursue. It’s OK to be undecided about your
major under the liberal arts philosophy followed in the US system. If you have multiple
academic interests, you can do a double major or complete minors alongside your major.

3.) The next subcategory is likely “Contacts.” This section will ask if you applied to the
university previously. If you answer “yes,” you will be asked to provide additional information
about when you did so.

4.) The next subcategory under the “Questions” section is likely “Family.” This section will
ask if any of your siblings are currently applying to that university as well and if any family
members have previously attended or worked at that university. If you answer “yes” to any of
the questions, you will be asked to provide further details.

5) There may be additional sub-categories under the “Questions” section, but they are likely
to be optional.

Assign Recommenders:

This section will be where you give information about your two teachers and guidance
counsellor (see above information in step #8 for an explanation of differences between
teachers and counsellors) who will recommend you and provide your school forms to the
universities to which you are applying. After authorising your schools to release your
academic information, we recommend that you waive your right to access in the Privacy
Notice to maintain credibility of the letter in the eyes of the university. Then sign and date the
form.

After clicking “Save”, you will be taken back to the page shown below. Click “Invite
Counselor”.

Remember, most students use the same three individuals for each university. Note the
guidance counsellor and the teacher cannot be the same person, and they will have
access to different forms.

The guidance counsellor will submit a school profile and comment on the students’
performance in a broader manner through the School/Final Reports. Teachers will submit a
more specific recommendation letter about your academic and extracurricular potential.
We recommend that you use your Head of Careers, Head of Sixth Form or
Housemaster/mistress as the counsellor and two current teachers to complete your
references. Make sure to inform them ahead of time that you will be asking them to write a
reference, and make sure that their email address is correct. Login information for the
forms will be sent out to them via email (you do not have to send the forms to them)
automatically from the Common Application system, so it is vital that you have the correct
information.

Again, we suggest you tick the box to release authorisation to maintain the credibility of the
letter in the eyes of the university.

After you have imputed your counsellor information, click “Send Invite”.

Before closing the pop-up screen, you can also invite your teachers. Simply change the
“Type” of recommender from “Counselor” to “Teacher” and input their details. Be sure to
click “Send Invite” after each teacher. Once you have invited your counsellor and two
teachers, you can close the pop-up window.

Once you have invited your counsellor, you will be able to see their progress on the school
forms they must complete.

Tip: Put a note in your

diary to remind your
counsellor to submit
your Mid Year Report.
This is likely due in
early spring, but be
sure to check with
each university for
their deadlines!
Once you send your teachers the
invites, you will have to go back to
the “Assign Recommenders” page
to select the teachers from the
drop down menu to assign to that
application (one at a time).
Because each university may have
different requirements for the
number of teachers they will
accept reference letters from, this
step requires you assign which of
your teachers’ reference letters
should be part of your application
to this specific university.

Do this again for the second

teacher. Please remember that
you must assign your teacher
recommendation letters for each
of the universities you want to
apply to.

14. Submitting your Application

In the “My Colleges” section, you will see that below “Questions” and “Assign
Recommenders” there is a tab called “Submission – Common App”. If you click on this while
your application is in progress, you will see the following:

However, if you click on this once you have completed all sections of the Common
Application, the Questions, and the Recommender assignments, the text will change to the
following:
After you click “Start Submission”, there is a three-step process.

1) The Common Application will generate a PDF of your final application. You should
print this out and read it over fully. Once an application or writing supplement has
been submitted to any institution, you cannot make any changes to it, so it is
vital that you preview your final submission and ensure that it is 100 percent how you
want it to be.

At this point, you have the option to return to any part of your application to make edits.

2) Once you tick the box saying you’ve reviewed the PDF, you can continue with your
submission. You will then have to submit payment using a credit card or e-cheque.

If the application cost is prohibitive, you may contact the individual university admissions
office for information on how to request a fee waiver and if you qualify.

3) In the signature section, you will be prompted to confirm that you completed the
application honestly and completely.

Only submit your application after you have checked it, rechecked and triple checked
it for any errors! You cannot undo a common application submission. Do not wait until the
night
 before an application deadline to submit your form.

When you try to submit your next form, all that is repeated will be greyed out so that you only
need to complete questions which are particular to that school. That is, once you put in the
work to submit the Common App once, it will be much easier for all other universities. Each
time you submit your application, your school forms, if done online, will automatically be
submitted as well, so you do not need to alert your high school if you decide to add schools
on the Common Application once they have completed your forms.

15.) Supplements

Writing Supplement: Check to see if the universities you are applying to require
supplements, additional information or essays, that you will need to submit along with the
Common Application form. You will only be able to submit your writing supplement after you
have submitted your Common Application. Some universities will let you submit the
supplements online or by email, and others may ask that you mail your materials to the
university. Supplements will differ from university to university.

If there is a red dash in the

“Writing Supplement”
column, you do not need to
complete a supplement in
order to apply.

Like the university-specific Questions, the Supplements will vary significantly from university
to university. Some will ask you to write about why you want to attend that institution, and
others may ask you to talk about your extra-curricular activities in more depth.

Art Supplement: All universities may “host” their own arts forms if they choose to do so. If
so, they will have a space for you to upload your work or links to it online. In the “Questions”
section, there may be a question that asks if you intend to submit an art supplement. If you
select “yes,” an “Art Supplement” tab will appear on the menu under the writing supplement.

Athletic Supplement: The Common Application no longer has an Athletic Supplement. If

you are applying for a sports scholarship to a school using the common application, you
need to contact the coach directly and send them relevant information including a sports CV,
coach letter, national team verification letter and if relevant link to video. Information about
athletic participation will also be collected from the activities section on the application and
available to coaches if admissions offices choose to forward it. You can find additional
information about Sports Scholarships, visit Fulbright’s webpage on Sports Scholarships
(http://fulbright.org.uk/study-in-the-usa/undergraduate-study/funding/sports-scholarships).

After you have completed all parts of the supplement, you can then submit the supplement.
After doing so, your application should be complete.

16. Monitoring your school’s

submissions

Even when you have completely

submitted your Common Application
to all your universities, it is very
important that you make sure that
your school submits all of your forms.
If your school representatives do
not submit the required forms to
the universities where you apply,
your applications will NOT be
considered complete and will not
be assessed.

It’s important to remember that

because many deadlines for US
colleges and universities are over the
December holiday season,
counsellors and teachers should be
given plenty of notice ahead of the
holidays to submit the forms on time.
You will be able to monitor your
counsellor’s and teacher’s progress
under the Assign Recommenders tab
for each university. In the example to
the right, you can see that one
teacher recommendation has been
completed while the other has not
been started.

To help your school throughout this process, please refer teachers and counsellors to our
Guidance for Common Application School Forms.