Applying to College

What is the Common App?

The Common Application membership association was established in 1975 by 15 private colleges that wished to provide a common, standardized first-year application form for use at any member institution. With the administrative support of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the organization grew steadily throughout its first 30 years.

Today, The Common Application serves over 1 million students and school officials annually through our free online First-Year and Transfer applications. Our membership of over 500 public and private colleges and universities represents the full diversity of four-year higher education in the US and, increasingly, overseas.

Writing your Personal Statement

A personal statement or essay is a required part of many college applications. The personal statement can be one of the most stressful parts of the application process because it's the most open ended.

The most important role of the essay is to give admissions committees a sense of your personality and what kind of addition you'd be to their school's community. Are you inquisitive? Ambitious? Caring? These kinds of qualities will have a profound impact on your college experience, but they're hard to determine based on a high school transcript.

Virtual College Tours

Virtual College Tours may help you decide which college or university you want to apply to when it’s time. They may help in deciding which schools may not be as good of a fit as well. We have compiled a list of widely used virtual-tour platforms that could help you with your search:

College Search Tools

When searching for colleges, it is important to find the right fit for you. These college search websites provide tools to search colleges and universities and receive the latest information regarding admissions information. You can search through colleges by preference and can use the filters to find colleges that fit your specific preferences. You may view through Public and Private universities, and can even review student demographic data to see what school would be the best fit for you.