More than 1,000 colleges and universities accept the Common Application, including at least one in every state and some outside the U.S. So, you’ll probably have at least one school on your list that asks you to fill out the Common App. This year, the Common App has added 64 new colleges—including Georgetown—made changes to requirements within the activities list, and has prioritized making the “application more welcoming to independent learners.” Read on to find out more about the changes.
New Member Schools
This year, the Common App welcomes 64 new members, including 23 community colleges from Illinois. The addition of the new community colleges is part of the Common App’s mission to make college education and the application process accessible to more people across the country and around the world. Other new members include Bay Atlantic University in DC, Baker University in Kansas, Bethel University in Indiana, Sattler College in Massachusetts, Texas A&M University’s Corpus Christi and Victoria campuses, Biola University in California, and of course, Georgetown University in DC.
There are also nine international additions, which are primarily institutions affiliated with US universities:
- Abertay University (SCT)
- Georgetown University in Qatar (QAT)
- London Metropolitan University (GBR)
- The American University in Cairo (EGY)
- The American University of Florence (ITA)
- Ulster University (IRL)
- University of Bath (GBR)
- Universidad Privada Boliviana (BOL)
- University of Strathclyde (SCT)
Georgetown accepting both the Georgetown App and the Common Application
Georgetown University made a big splash in the world of college admissions last year when it announced that starting August 2026, students will be able to apply to the school through the Common Application. This policy is part of a three-year pilot program.
According to interim provost Soyica Diggs Colbert, the hope is that “the university will be able to reach larger percentages of low-income students and other applicants who are interested in Georgetown and might not have otherwise applied for admission.”
You can find more detailed information on our blog about changes to the Georgetown application.
Changes to the Common App Activities Section
The activities section has now been named “Activities and Experiences” to reflect students’ breadth of involvement. There are a few other changes as well:
- The position/leadership field within each activity is now optional. This makes it easier for students when they want to include participation in family responsibilities, hobbies, or other work that doesn’t necessarily have a title. Our recommendation, however, is to add to those categories as much as you can because it saves space in the description, which is still limited to 150 characters.
- The Common App has also specifically stated that “hours per week” and “weeks per year” should now be based specifically on the busiest weeks of the year for the activity.
- Categories have been updated to better reflect further nuances of students’ lives. “Work (paid)” has become “Employment or work (paid).” “Junior ROTC” has changed to “ROTC and Military.” Students also have more dedicated fields for time commitment when it comes to activities after high school graduation.
Changes for Independent Learners
Students applying to colleges via the Common App are considered independent learners if they are above the age of 23. According to the Common App, “Learners who will be 23+ years old by the end of the cycle year or self-indicate they meet FAFSA’s definition of independence will no longer provide demographic information (name, contact info, educational institutions, job, etc.) about parents or siblings, and can share their household composition.”
Common App Essay Prompts Remain Unchanged
Colleges ask students using the Common App to write a personal statement of around 650 words. This is your chance to tell the colleges what you want them to know about you. It can be hard to know where to begin. Before you start writing, take some time for self-reflection and brainstorm your ideas. The Common App prompts, after receiving positive feedback from students, counselors, teachers, and colleges, remain the same from the last few years. Those prompts are:
- 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.
You can use this year’s Common App prompts for inspiration, but this shouldn’t feel like a school paper where you need to address the prompt. Make sure you’re showing colleges who you really are, not responding in a way you think colleges want to hear.
You can learn more about the rest of the Common App in our blogs about getting started, essay prompts, honors section, activities section, and additional information section and our complete guide to the Common App.
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