Reports and Insights
As a non-profit membership organization serving millions of students each year, Common App is uniquely positioned to share data and provide insight into the college admissions process.
Our reports and insights are driven by more than 40 years of experience supporting applicants, recommenders, and admissions professionals. With more than 1,000 member colleges and universities serving over 1 million applicants each year, we are able to devise insight into application trends across the applicant lifecycle and identify potential barriers and opportunities to improve college access.
Core to our mission of access, equity, and integrity is a responsibility to move our practice forward by collaborating with like-minded organizations, developing best practices, and sharing the results of our findings.
Common App application trends
March 1 deadline update
Data Analytics and Research, March 15, 2023
2021–2022 Common App state reports
Data Analytics and Research
Common App research briefs
Common App for transfer: a four-year retrospective
Data Analytics and Research, April 24, 2023
Research summary: trends and disparities in extracurricular activity reporting
Data Analytics and Research, April 18, 2023
Beyond ‘international:’ Understanding nuances of a diverse applicant pool
Data Analytics and Research, March 28, 2023
First-year applications per applicant
Data Analytics and Research, December 12, 2022
Unpacking applicant race and ethnicity, part 1
Data Analytics and Research, October 17, 2022
Unpacking applicant race and ethnicity, part 2
Data Analytics and Research, October 17, 2022
Long-term progress toward diversifying the Common App applicant pool
Data Analytics and Research, September 15, 2022
First-year admission plans: trends over time and applicant composition
Data Analytics and Research, November 21, 2021
Growth and change: long-term trends in Common App membership
Data Analytics and Research, October 19, 2021
Applying to college in a test-optional landscape
Data Analytics and Research, September 8, 2021
Pandemic patterns
Data Analytics and Research, August 30, 2021
Third-party research and collaboration
A brief guide to Common Apps name, sex, and gender questions for member institutions
Source: Campus Pride
A majority of U.S. colleges admit most students who apply
Source: Pew Research Center
Nudging at a National Scale: Experimental Evidence from a FAFSA Completion Campaign
Source: EdPolicyWorks - University of Virginia
Mindsets and the Learning Environment: A Big Biodata Approach to Mindsets, Learning Environments, and College Success
Source: Sidney D’Mello (PI), University of Colorado Boulder, Angela Duckworth (Co-PI), University of Pennsylvania
True Merit: Ensuring Our Brightest Students Have Access to Our Best Colleges and Universities
Source: The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
The Michelle Obama Effect: How Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Community Events Impact FAFSA Completion
Source: EdPolicyWorks - University of Virginia
Common App member case studies
Navigating the new normal: How the University of Georgia streamlined the application process and improved student and family communication during COVID-19
Source: Common App