THE COMMON APPLICATION INC
Programs
College Access Initiatives
SEE SCHEDULE OCOMMON APP'S MISSION TO ADVANCE ACCESS, EQUITY, AND INTEGRITY IN THE COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROCESS HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN IT IS TODAY. WE HAVE SEVERAL INITIATIVES UNDERWAY TO HELP MORE STUDENTS ACCESS, AFFORD, AND ATTAIN POSTSECONDARY OPPORTUNITIES.WHILE 1.5 MILLION STUDENTS USE COMMON APP EACH YEAR TO APPLY FOR POSTSECONDARY OPPORTUNITIES, THERE IS MORE WORK TO DO. OUR DATA SHOW THAT LOW-INCOME APPLICANTS ARE STILL SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN COMMON APP'S APPLICANT POOL, AND THROUGHOUT FY25, WE CONTINUED TO WORK TOWARD OUR MOONSHOT OF CLOSING THE GAP IN STUDENTS FROM LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COMMUNITIES ACCESSING POSTSECONDARY OPPORTUNITIES.COMMON APP STRIVES TO BE A TRUSTED RESOURCE FOR OUR MEMBER COLLEGES, STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT STUDENTS NAVIGATING THE APPLICATION PROCESS. TOGETHER, WE CAN HELP ALL STUDENTS ACCESS, AFFORD, AND ATTAIN OPPORTUNITY, ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COMMUNITIES. WE HAVE SEVERAL INITIATIVES IN FLIGHT THAT WILL HELP US REACH OUR MOONSHOT, INCLUDING:- REIMAGINING COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TO BE MORE SIMPLE, LOGICAL, AND JOYFUL - CONNECTING STUDENTS TO FINANCIAL AID RESOURCES, INFORMATION, AND OPPORTUNITIES- DELIVERING TAILORED INSIGHTS TO EXPAND OUTREACHTHROUGHOUT FY25, WE CONTINUED SEVERAL INITIATIVES TO WORK TOWARD THAT MOONSHOT GOAL. REIMAGINING COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TO BE MORE SIMPLE, LOGICAL, AND JOYFULDIRECT ADMISSIONSDIRECT ADMISSIONS IS DESIGNED TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL AND HIGHER EDUCATION BY PROACTIVELY ADMITTING STUDENTS INTO COLLEGE. COMMON APP'S PROGRAM IDENTIFIES FIRST-GENERATION AND MIDDLE- AND LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WHO MEET THE ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS OF PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS, AND INFORMS THOSE STUDENTS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN CONDITIONALLY ACCEPTED TO A GIVEN INSTITUTION BASED ON THEIR QUALIFICATIONS. IN ITS SECOND YEAR AS A FULL-SCALE PROGRAM, COMMON APP DIRECT ADMISSIONS PARTNERED WITH 119 MEMBER INSTITUTIONS ACROSS 35 STATES TO SERVE MORE THAN 700,000+ FIRST-GENERATION AND LOW-INCOME STUDENTS. OUR RESULTS SHOW:- 22% OF STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED OFFERS ADDED AT LEAST 1 COLLEGE THEY WEREN'T ALREADY CONSIDERING - 3 IN 4 STUDENTS WHO CHOSE TO ADD A COLLEGE THAT SENT THEM AN OFFER ENDED UP ACTUALLY APPLYING - 32% HIGHER APPLICATION RATES AMONG STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED A DIRECT ADMISSIONS OFFER COMPARED TO THOSE WHO DID NOT - STUDENTS WITH THE GREATEST BARRIERS (FEE WAIVER ELIGIBLE, FIRST-GENERATION) ARE TWICE AS LIKELY TO ENGAGEAT THE STATE LEVEL, COMMON APP PARTNERED AGAIN WITH THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT THROUGH THE CONNECTICUT STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (CSCU) TO OFFER TENS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS IN THE STATE DIRECT ADMISSIONS TO BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS THROUGH THEIR CONNECTICUT AUTOMATIC ADMISSIONS PROGRAM (CAAP). COMMON APP ALSO LAUNCHED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE STATE OF ILLINOIS THROUGH ITS "ONE CLICK COLLEGE ADMIT" PROGRAM TO OFFER THOUSANDS OF HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS IN THE STATE DIRECT ADMISSIONS.STUDENT CONTEXT PILOTWE ALSO CONTINUED OUR STUDENT CONTEXT INVENTORY, WHICH GIVES STUDENTS THE OPTION TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES AND RESPONSIBILITIES IN A CHECKLIST-STYLE SECTION OF THE APPLICATION. THIS CHECKLIST ALLOWS STUDENTS TO THINK MORE BROADLY ABOUT THE VALUABLE EXPERIENCE THEY BRING TO THE TABLE, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING COMMON APP MEMBERS THE ABILITY TO EVALUATE A STUDENT'S ACADEMIC RECORD IN A BROADER CONTEXT. THIS SIGNALS TO STUDENTS THAT THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES MATTER. OUR FINDINGS INDICATE THAT MOST STUDENTS ARE WILLING TO ENGAGE WITH THE OPTIONAL STUDENT CONTEXT INVENTORY QUESTION, AND THE QUESTION RESPONSE OPTIONS ARE STRONGLY RELATED TO COMMON INDICATORS OF LOW-INCOME AND FIRST-GENERATION STATUS.CONNECTING STUDENTS TO FINANCIAL AID RESOURCES, INFORMATION, AND OPPORTUNITIESWE KNOW AFFORDABILITY IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST BARRIERS TO COLLEGE, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO COME FROM LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME FAMILIES. TO HELP MORE STUDENTS FROM LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COMMUNITIES REACH THEIR POSTSECONDARY GOALS, COMMON APP IS CONNECTING COLLEGE APPLICANTS WITH FINANCIAL AID OPPORTUNITIES AND UPFRONT COST INFORMATION. THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS WITH TWO NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP AGGREGATORS, OUR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM CONNECTS STUDENTS WITH SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR BASED ON THEIR COMMON APP DATA, HELPING SCHOLARSHIP PARTNERS BETTER REACH AND SERVE UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS. IN FY25, WE EXPANDED OUR REACH FROM 89K STUDENTS IN FY24 TO 1.5M STUDENTS. PARTICIPATING SCHOLARSHIP PARTNERS AWARDED OVER $5.5M TO FIRST-GENERATION AND LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WHOSE DECISION TO APPLY WAS LIKELY INFLUENCED BY COMMON APP OUTREACH. FURTHER RESULTS SHOW:- STUDENTS MATCHED WITH A MEDIAN OF 14 OPPORTUNITIES IN FY25, UP FROM 2 IN FY24.- FIRST-GENERATION AND BELOW-MEDIAN-INCOME STUDENTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO ACT ON THEIR SCHOLARSHIP MATCHES. 32% OF ALL STUDENTS ACTED ON AT LEAST ONE MATCH, COMPARED TO 37% OF FIRST-GENERATION AND 38% OF BELOW-MEDIAN-INCOME STUDENTS.EACH YEAR, COMMON APP MEMBER INSTITUTIONS WAIVE THEIR APPLICATION FEES FOR STUDENTS WHO MEET OUR ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS, SUCH AS RECEIVING FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH, OR IF THE STUDENT LIVES IN SUBSIDIZED HOUSING. IN FY25, THESE WAIVERS REPRESENTED NEARLY $179 MILLION IN SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS PURSUING HIGHER EDUCATION.DELIVERING TAILORED INSIGHTS TO EXPAND OUTREACHIN FY25, COMMON APP'S DATA ANALYTICS AND RESEARCH TEAM PUBLISHED SEVERAL RESEARCH REPORTS THAT HAVE HELPED IDENTIFY POTENTIAL BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE COLLEGE ACCESS. THESE REPORTS HAVE RANGED FROM TRACKING PERSISTENCE IN STEMM DEGREES, UNDERSTANDING HOW STUDENTS WHO DON'T FOLLOW "TRADITIONAL" PATHS APPLY AND ENROLL IN COLLEGE, AND OUR DEADLINE UPDATES, WHICH PROVIDE TIMELY INSIGHTS ON FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE APPLICATION TRENDS.IN FY25, WE LAUNCHED OUR FIRST-EVER CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS FROM THE BROADER SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COMMUNITY. THIS NEW PROCESS IS MEANT TO MOBILIZE NEW PERSPECTIVES, SKILL SETS, EXPERTISE, AND RESOURCES. IT AIMS TO ENRICH OUR DATA INSIGHTS, WHICH WE HAVE SHARED OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS, AND EXPAND WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM OUR DATA IN SERVICE TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY.WE ALSO LAUNCHED NEW ANALYTICS FEATURES TO COMMON APP MEMBERS IN FY25. THE ENHANCED REPORTS ARE DESIGNED TO HELP OUR MEMBER COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES LEVERAGE STUDENT DATA AND IDENTIFY APPLICANT TRENDS, SUCH AS YEAR-OVER-YEAR STUDENT APPLICANT COMPARISONS.ACHIEVING MEANINGFUL IMPACTIN FY25, OUR DATA SHOW NEARLY 1.5 MILLION DISTINCT FIRST-YEAR APPLICANTS SUBMITTED OVER 10 MILLION APPLICATIONS TO 1,097 MEMBER INSTITUTIONS. STUDENTS FROM BELOW-MEDIAN-INCOME ZIP CODES INCREASED BY 10% OVER THE LAST YEAR, AND FIRST-GENERATION APPLICANTS SURGED BY 14%.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJul 1, 2024 – Jun 30, 2025Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$44.3M
Copyright 2026. All rights reserved to Chario Inc. (d.b.a. Impala)