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Common Application

What is the Common Application?

The Common Application is a not-for-profit organization that serves students and member institutions by providing an admission application – online and in print – that students may submit to any of our nearly 300 members.

Why use it?

Once completed online or in print, copies of the Application for Undergraduate Admission can be sent to any number of participating colleges. The same is true of the School Report, Midyear Report, and Teacher Evaluation forms. This allows you to spend less time on the busywork of applying for admission, and more time on what's really important: college research, visits, essay writing, and senior year coursework.

Is it widely used?

Absolutely! Millions of Common Applications are printed and accepted by our members each year. In addition, last year almost half a million applications were submitted via the Common App Online. At some point this year we anticipate our 2,000,000th application overall will be submitted.

Is it treated fairly?

YES! Our college and university members have worked together over the past 30 years to develop the application. All members fully support its use, and all give equal consideration to the Common Application and the college's own form. Many of our members use the Common Application as their only undergraduate admission application.

FAFSA

Education After High School

Whatever type of school beyond high school you attend, you have to be thinking about how you're going to pay for it. The cost of education continues to rise. But that doesn't mean managing these costs isn't a challenge.

Education beyond high school is a big investment of time, money and effort. Over a working life, a person with a bachelor's degree will earn almost twice as much as someone with just a high school diploma. More education equates to higher earnings. This is most noticable at high education levels (see below). The more education you have, the more you earn. So invest in your education; the payoff last a lifetime.

Earnings in 2005 by Educational Attainment of Population 25 years and Over
Educational Level	2005 Annual Income (U.S. Dollar)
High School Diploma	$38,344
Associate Degree	$47,159
Bachelor's Degree	$67,156
Master's Degree	$81,281
Ph.D	$107,808
Professional Degree	$140,551

What is federal student aid?

Federal student aid is financial assistance through the U.S. Department of Education. Federal student aid covers school expenses such as tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies and transportation. There are three categories of federal student aid: grants, work-study and loans. Check with your school to find out which programs your school participates in.

Who gets federal student aid?

Eligibility for most federal student aid programs is based on financial need and several other factors. Your eligibility is determined by the information you provide on the FAFSA.

Basic Eligibility requirements:

• Demonstrate financial need.
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen (for most programs) with a valid Social Security number (SSN).
• Be working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program.
• Show, by one of the following means, that you're qualified to obtain a postsecondary education:
  • Have a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate.
  • Pass an approved ability-to-benefirst (ATB) test.
  • Meet other standards that your state establishes and that have been approved by U.S. Department of Education.
  • Complete a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law.
• Register (if you haven't already) with the Selective Service, if you're a male between the ages of 18 and 25.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress once in school.

FAFSA4caster

If you want to begin exploring your financial aid options and get an early start on the financial aid process, FAFSA4caster is for you! By using FAFSA4caster, you and your family will receive an early estimate of eligibility for federal student aid.