The 2022-2023 Common App is LIVE!

It’s August 1^st, which means one thing in the college admissions world: the Common App is LIVE! This online application platform allows students to apply to multiple schools at once and is used by more than 900 colleges and universities to streamline the application process. Although the Common App essay prompts will remain the same for 2022-2023, you will notice a few changes to the site this admissions cycle:

More Schools on the Common App

This year, the Common App welcomed more than 50 new colleges and universities to the platform. Our students were especially excited to see that they can now submit their applications to The University of Texas at Austin and The University of Washington via the Common App. Other schools (we’re looking at you, Georgetown and MIT), have held out and continue to use their own application management systems.

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Promoting Inclusivity

The Common App has made an effort to advance inclusion through their gender identity and fee waiver questions. This year, the Common App has added “Mx.” and “other” options for counselor, parent, recommender, teacher, and advisor prefix options, as well as added “legal” to the first/given name question label.

Another update simplifies the fee waiver process by including the list of eligibility criteria and providing yes/no options versus asking students to select multiple criteria. According to the site, “These moves are rooted in Common App research identifying nearly 39,000 first-year applicants who were likely eligible for the Common App fee waiver, but did not request one. Another 55,000 likely-qualified students may have abandoned an application all together because of fee-related fears.”

Find School-Specific Supplements

Now that the Common App is live, individual schools are updating their supplemental essay questions within the website. If you haven’t already, NOW is the time to create your account, select your schools of interest, and organize your list of supplements (we are keeping track of these extra essays as they’re released in real time)!

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Not sure where to begin? Want to avoid the pitfalls of the Common App? Work with one of our Senior Counselors to organize, brainstorm, and write your stand-out essays with our Essay Guidance Program. Or consider our Essay Guidance and Common App 911 bundle for a complete application package! We will walk you through the Common App step-by-step to ensure your application is as strong as possible before you press submit.

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Dr. Elizabeth Doe Stone

CEO at Top Tier Admissions

Liz is CEO of Top Tier Admissions. A graduate of Dartmouth College and a Fulbright Research Grant recipient, she earned her PhD in Art History from the University of Virginia, where she received the university’s highest teaching award. With decades of experience in education, Liz brings deep insight into the evolving college admissions landscape and the pressures facing students today. She is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes, where she covers admissions trends and the shifting world of higher education, helping families approach the process with clarity, calm, and intention.

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