What’s New in the 2025-26 Common App?

The Common App (or Common Application) is a platform used by millions of students each year for college admissions. It was designed to simplify the college application process by allowing students to apply to multiple colleges and universities using a single application. It streamlines the process of applying to college by enabling students to enter personal information, academic history, and extracurricular activities once, and then share that information with participating schools. It can be used to apply to over 1,100 member colleges and universities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as Canada, China, Japan, and many European countries.

Specifically, the Common App is used for:

• Applying to multiple colleges with one application. Instead of filling out separate applications for each college, students can use the Common App to apply to numerous institutions with a single application — saving time and effort.
• Researching colleges. The Common App platform provides a place to research colleges, including information about programs, admissions criteria, and campus life.
• Accessing financial aid and scholarships. Resources and information related to financial aid and scholarships are provided by the Common App, which helps students navigate the process of funding their education.
• Managing recommendation letters. Students can ask teachers, counselors, and other recommenders to post recommendation letters through the Common App.
• Managing application essays. Through the Common App, students can write a main essay (personal statement) and submit it to all participating schools. Some schools require additional supplemental essays that are also administered through the program.
• Transferring colleges. The Common App has a separate platform that is designed specifically for students transferring from community colleges or other four-year institutions.
• Direct admissions programs. The Common App also facilitates direct admissions programs, allowing students to be directly admitted to participating universities based on their application.

The 2025-26 Common App launched on August 1, 2025. Here are a few things you need to know about this year’s changes:

1. The User Interface has been revamped.

The new Common App has an updated user interface aimed at improving usability and accessibility. (How students navigate the application and its submission steps remain the same.) The fresh design includes streamlined menus, updated colors, and progress indicators: blue dashes for incomplete sections and green checkmarks for completed ones. In addition, the Common App menu has been renamed My Common Application and moved to a more prominent location. It now appears before My Colleges, helping users navigate more intuitively.

2. The “Additional Information” section has been trimmed down.

To promote conciseness, the Additional Information section has been reduced from 650 to 300 words for first-year applicants, and from 3,500 to 1,500 characters for transfer students. If you started this part of your application before the August 1^st update, you won’t lose your work, but you will need to adjust the content to fit the new limits.

3. “Challenges and Circumstances” replaces the “Community Disruption” question.

The pandemic-era Community Disruption question has been replaced by a broader, more inclusive Challenges and Circumstances prompt. This change allows applicants to discuss a wide variety of experiences — from housing instability and caregiving responsibilities to discrimination and health issues — rather than being limited to community-level disruptions like COVID. The optional section encourages students to share meaningful experiences that enrich their application and may connect them with campus support.

4. Personal Essay prompts remain the same.

All seven of the Common App essay prompts remain unchanged. The main (personal) essay word limit is still capped at 650 words. This decision was based on positive feedback from students, teachers, counselors, and colleges. The organization will continue to monitor trends, using insights to determine any future changes.

5. The Student Context Inventory has gone mainstream.

The Student Context Inventory — a checklist-style tool developed with Harvard’s Making Caring Common initiative is now part of the main application. It enables applicants to share responsibilities (like caregiving or household tasks) and personal circumstances that shaped their academic journey.

6. Community Colleges have joined the Common App.

Community colleges are now included among Common App member institutions. Once catering exclusively to four-year colleges and universities, the platform now serves a wider population of students. Schools like Lincoln Land Community College, Oakton College, and Triton College have joined this year, expanding access to two-year institutions that offer associate degrees and some certificate programs.

7. Scholarship matching expands.

Common App partnered with the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA) in 2024 to expand scholarship matching opportunities for students. In addition to providing students with tools to manage their matches for the strongest fits, this year’s updated platform displays more information about opportunities.

Final Thoughts

With interface improvements, reduced word limits, enhanced opportunities to share personal experiences, and new institutional options, the 2025-26 Common App lays the groundwork for a more equitable and streamlined admissions experience. For more information on the Common App and other college admissions topics, please feel free to contact us. At Moxie College Counseling, we are committed to making the college application journey a stress-free, rewarding experience for all of our students.