New Schools and Essay Top Changes on the 2021-2022 Common App
The Common Application is an all-in-one online college application system created to help simplify the college application process for both first-year and transfer college students all over the world.
Nowadays, the Common App is more than just an application. It also gives students 24-hour access (made available through a mobile app) to their financial aid, scholarship information, online portfolios, and even virtual mentors - literally at their fingertips.
The Common App also streamlines the college application process for teachers and guidance counselors. Educators can tap into Common App’s expansive collection of resources - available in both English and Spanish - to better help support their college-bound students.
37 New Schools Are Accepting the Common App in 2021-2022
In addition to the already 855 US and 63 international Common App member colleges, an additional 35 US and 2 international schools have recently joined the list as a part of the 2021-2022 college application season:
Additional US colleges now accepting the Common App:
Austin Peay State University (TN)
Belmont Abbey College (NC)
Charleston Southern University (SC)
Colorado Mesa University (CO)
Colorado School of Mines (CO)
Concordia University - Ann Arbor (MI)
Eastern Illinois University (IL)
Fort Lewis College (CO)
Gordon College (MA)
Governors State University (IL)
Grace College (IN)
Illinois State University (IL)
Indiana Tech (IN)
James Madison University (VA)
Manor College (PA)
Mississippi College (MS)
Mount Saint Joseph University (OH)
Northeastern Illinois University (IL)
Oregon Institute of Technology (OR)
Pratt Institute (NY)
Portland State University (OR)
Rockford University (IL)
Saint Augustine’s University (NC)
Southern Illinois University - Carbondale (IL)
Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville (IL)
Texas Wesleyan University (TX)
University of Alabama (AL)
University of Georgia (GA)
University of Illinois at Springfield (IL)
University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign (IL)
University of Northwestern, St. Paul (MN)
Villa Maria College (NY)
Western Illinois University (IL)
Westfield State University (MA)
Wingate University (NC)
Additional international colleges now accepting the Common App:
Lebanese American University
University of the Commonwealth Caribbean
New Common App Essay Added to the Existing List (and One Removed)
For the 2021-2022 admissions cycle, Common App has rolled out a new essay prompt.
First-year applicants will find one of the older prompts,
Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma – anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
has been replaced, while the six other essay prompts will stay the same. According to the Common App, this was, by far, the least popular essay choice. The hope is that the following new prompt will give applicants a fresh and more useful option:
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
So as it stands, the following is the complete set of Common App essay prompts for 2021-2022:
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?
Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
For advice on how to support your students with these prompts, check out our 5 Best Ways to Help Students with College Admission Essays.
Many Personal Descriptors Have Been Changed, Made Optional, or Removed Altogether
The Common App has also made significant modifications to several of the background questions for applicants. These changes are in line with Common App’s stated goal of making the application more inclusive to all students, from all backgrounds.
1. Citizenship Questions
All questions regarding student geographic background will now be optional.
Additionally, first-year and transfer applicants will now find new response options for both international and undocumented/ DACA students, rather than the previous “Other (non-US)” option.
According to Common App,
The ethnicity question on the Common Application has been updated to meet the Department of Education reporting requirements. Answers to the ethnicity question are not required for submission. If you choose to answer this question, you may provide whatever answer you feel best applies to you or any groups of which you feel you are a part. If you wish to answer the ethnicity question but feel that the established categories do not fully capture how you identify yourself, you may provide more detail in the Additional Information section of the application.
2. Family Questions
All questions regarding parents and siblings are now optional. This includes parental occupation and citizenship status.
While this helps keep the focus on the applicant as an individual, it also removes another possible means for a student to feel labeled or evaluated based on geography, cultural background, and/or citizenship status.
3. Gender Questions
Common App has changed gender-related questions on the application to be more inclusive to all students.
First-year and transfer students will find optional questions regarding students’ preferred first names and preferred pronouns.
Furthermore, the wording of these questions have been changed from “sex” to “legal sex” in order to offer clarity and avoid confusion for applicants.
Common App is making it a point to encourage students to express their gender identity in the application.
Within the profile section, in addition to the sex question, there is an optional free response text field that gives applicants a place to further describe their gender identity. They can use the open response field or the "additional information" prompt within the writing section to share any information they wish for colleges to know. Some colleges also ask additional questions in order to receive the data most needed for their individual campus process.
4. Discipline Questions
Starting this application season, The Common Application will no longer ask questions of the applicant or the applicant’s school about a student’s school discipline history.
This is yet another way Common App is trying to remove barriers to entry that may discourage a student from applying to college or being accepted based on the merits of their positive potential.
These changes are all a direct result of Common App’s Evolving the App initiative, which continues to strive for a more inclusive and positive college application pathway. It is likely that additional changes may emerge for future application seasons.
New PowerSchool Integrations Should Streamline the High School-to-College Transfer of Information
And last, but certainly not least, Common App has partnered with Naviance by PowerSchool - one of the nation’s most popular cloud-based education software platforms.
The alliance between Common App and Naviance will supply teachers, counselors, and advisors with both the tools and support to help them better assist their college-bound students through the application process.
Beginning with the 2021-2022 applications, this partnership will create a streamlined workflow for students and educators that will:
accept a single submission, per form type, including:
school reports
counselor recommendations
fee waivers
reports (optional and mid-year)
teacher evaluations
send missing item notifications
make forms and documents accessible to all of the colleges that a student has applied (or will apply) to
send notifications when forms and documents have been received by colleges.
College App and its partners are helping to make the college application process for students and educators as simple and efficient as possible. By getting to know the Common App, you’ll be able to offer your students support through their application process.
Common App provides free resources to educators to help students register and navigate the platform. Taking advantage of these free resources is a major value-add for college-prep and test-prep tutors.
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