Common App

New insights from our first application deadline update of the season! Here are a few highlights from our findings as Common App applicant and application counts continue to grow: 🥇 Access to college has increased as applicants identifying as first-generation grew by 12% compared to this point last year. ⏫ We’re seeing real momentum in representation as applications from underrepresented minority race/ethnicity students are up 10% – that’s 25,000 more students than this time last year! 📈 The data shows progress in access: the number of low-income students applying through Common App is growing at more than twice the rate of their peers. 📍 Students are keeping their options closer to home: applicants applying only to in-state schools are up 6% and those applying to a mix of in- and out-of-state colleges rose 10%. Lots of exciting trends this year, with every data point telling a story about more students finding their path to college. Access our full report linked in our comments below 👇

Do your students have direct admissions offers? Use this guide to help them figure out which colleges fit their needs! 🤝 For more information, check out the direct admissions companion resource linked in the comments!

Thank you to all of our veterans and their families 🤝 By partnering with MilGears, military-connected students have access to resources to help them find their right fit ⭐️ Learn more about our military-connected resources linked in our comments! #VeteransDay

📊ISO: 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐬 that will generate actionable insights using the millions of high school course-taking records students submit through our platform each year! We want to collaborate with skilled researchers from the broader social science community to leverage the unique depth and breadth of our data warehouse on first-year college applicants. Help us make data actionable in pursuit of our moonshot goal to close our equity gap in low- and middle-income students applying for postsecondary opportunities! We invite researchers to submit proposals at the link in the comments below! Share this post with those who might be interested 💡

More and more first-gen students are applying to college and we can’t wait to see what they do next 🎉 We 💚 to #CelebrateFirstGen today and every day!

Our new research brief explores how interest and success in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) fields vary state by state. What does the 5,500+ data points report? 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗠 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 — 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿. These insights can help educators, policymakers, and workforce partners better understand where students may face barriers and how to strengthen local pathways to STEMM careers. Dive deep into what is happening in your community and in your state’s STEMM education and workforce by accessing our full report linked in our comments ⤵️

According to Common App data, the number of first-generation college applicants in Texas surged from about 13,000 in 2020-21 to roughly 43,000 in 2024-25. That means thousands more students are becoming the first in their families to pursue a college degree. This growth underscores how access and support initiatives are transforming college trajectories for students who often blaze trails for their families. More opportunities ahead, and more students rewriting what’s possible for themselves and their families.

Counselors: You know it's coming. The first major deadline of the season on November 1! If your seniors are doing a final read-through of their Common App, here are a few things to remind them before they submit: ✨ Their story feels authentic and complete 📫 Recommendations have been requested (it’s okay if they aren’t uploaded yet!) 🎯 Activity descriptions clearly communicate their involvement 📄 Formatting is clean and everything is readable 📊 Testing score reporting matches their intent for each college ⏰ They submit before 11:59 PM their local time You are doing incredible work guiding students through these big decisions — and we’re cheering you on every step of the way. 💜

Ask your students what the spookiest part of this week is… they’ll say it’s that Nov 1 deadline! 👻 Share this with them to make pressing submit less scary, a treat even! 🎊

As the Nov. 1 college application deadline approaches, students everywhere are putting the finishing touches on their essays, supplements, and forms. 📝 Fafa, Andy, and Ryan, students who’ve been through the process themselves, share their top tips for applying through Common App, from managing deadlines to staying confident through the final stretch. A great reminder for anyone supporting students this week: small pieces of advice can make a big difference in helping them press submit with confidence. 💙