There are seven Common App first-year essay prompts for the 2025-2026 school year, and they are the same as those used for the 2024-2025 application. You need to choose only one prompt.

In 2014, the organization stopped requiring member colleges to use a “holistic admissions” process—assessing students beyond test scores—in order to open up the platform to more institutions. The ...

The Common Application, also called the Common App, is an undergraduate college admissions application. By filling out that one application, you can apply to any of the colleges that accept the form.