The Ultimate 2025–2026 Common App Playbook for International Students
Applying to university is a major milestone — a rite of passage that can feel both exciting and overwhelming. For many international students, it’s not just about getting into a college; it’s about opening doors to a whole new life abroad.
But here’s the catch: the process can feel intimidating, especially when dealing with unfamiliar systems, essays, and deadlines.
That’s where the Common Application (Common App) comes in. It’s designed to simplify the application process by letting you apply to multiple universities with one central application. But it’s only simple if you know exactly how to navigate it.
This guide will walk you step-by-step through every section of the Common App for the 2025–2026 cycle, with special notes for international students on what to watch out for, what to prepare ahead of time, and how to avoid common mistakes.
What is the Common App?
The Common Application is an online platform that allows you to apply to more than 1,000 colleges and universities with a single application. It’s widely used across the U.S., including 250+ public universities and many private institutions.
It’s not just for U.S. schools — some institutions in Canada, Japan, China, and Europe also accept it.
Important: Not every school uses the Common App. For example:
University of California (UC) system, MIT, and Georgetown do not.
Some schools accept both the Common App and their own application portal.
When does it open?
The Common App for the 2025–2026 cycle officially opens on August 1, 2025. Most colleges update their applications sometime between August 1st and the 15th, but some might take a bit longer.
However, many colleges keep their questions and essay prompts the same from year to year. This means you can:
Start working on your personal statement early, well before August 1st. In fact, if you’re planning on applying Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA), definitely get a head start on all-thing essay
Begin drafting supplemental essays if you already know the prompts, most of them don’t change anyway
Common Application Deadlines
These are typical deadlines, so double-check each school’s website just to make sure.
Tip for international students: Apply earlier if possible — visas, financial aid processing, and scholarship deadlines can take extra time.
Before You Start – Gather Necessary Documents to Save Time
Why prep matters: the Common Ap has one section (“The Common Application” tab) that feeds all schools. Mistakes there get copied to every school. Save time and stress by gathering the facts before you get started.
What to gather (download / scan early):
Transcripts from grades 9 through 11 in the original and English translated versions.
If you completed grade 9 at a different school, be sure to request your grade 9 transcripts from that school ahead of time.
If your school calculates GPA differently, ask your school counselor how the school usually reports to colleges abroad.
Translate official documents into English and keep the translator’s name and contact information, just in case.
Senior year course list, with the exact course names and whether each course is designated honors / AP / IB.
Standardized test scores
Report your SAT/ACT scores if needed, but keep in mind that some schools may require you to report only your highest score and/or all of your scores.
For international students, it is very likely that you’ll also need to provide your TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo score(s) on top of SAT/ACT.
Passport (for name-matching)
Family and demographic information, including parents’ education level
List of awards and recognitions (with awarding body & date)
Preliminary list of extracurricular activities (dates, hours/wk, wks/yr)
Any disciplinary or attendance-related records you need to explain (i.e., red flags)
Any documentation that supports a COVID impact, illness or other special circumstance (for your Additional Information Section)
Creating Your Common App Account (Step-by-Step)
Go to commonapp.org → “Apply” → Start your application. You can also download Common Apps mobile app, but do heavy writing in a doc offline.
Choose: First-year or Transfer (pick the correct applicant type).
Enter your legal name exactly as on your passport and transcripts. Mismatched names cause verification issues later.
Use an email address you check daily and have easy access to even after you graduate from high school. Avoid silly nicknames, save your password in a secure place, and give a parent/counselor the recovery info, just in case.
Confirm your date of birth, citizenship, and mailing address. Update if you move before submission.
Complete the short guided tour to familiarize yourself with all the tabs.
Tip: Draft essays and long text in Google Docs / Word and paste into Common App only when ready. The Common App text box sometimes changes formatting, and you can’t rely on rich text. Also, keep a copy of everything offline.
The Five Common Application Tabs & What Each Does
Once you’ve created an account, you’ll see five tabs on the left panel, including Dashboard, My Common Application, My Colleges, College Search, and Financial Aid Resources.
Dashboard – Updated visual design of your status: deadlines, submissions status, and progress indicators. This tab will be empty until you’ve added colleges.
My Common Application – profile / family / education / testing / activities / writing / courses & grades. These will be sent to all schools.
My Colleges – This is where you add colleges you’re interested in applying to. This is also where all school-specific questions, supplements, deadlines, and recommender tracking are housed.
College Search - find and add schools, filter by test policy, fee, geography, deadlines, etc.
Financial Aid Resources – links to aid, CSS Profile, and scholarships.
Tip: You can fill out the entire application in any order. Some students fill out “My Common Application” first, while others go to the “My Colleges” tab first. Either way is fine. Only items with a * are required, the rest remain optional.
Deep Dive into The Common Application Tab
This is the “common” section of the Common Application. This means that all the information entered here will be sent to all schools. Fill it out carefully. Once a section is completed, you’ll see a little green checkmark.
Profile
Personal Information
Enter legal name exactly as on passport/transcripts. For Chinese/Taiwanese names, put family name and given name in the right slots (Common App usually has separate Last/Family and First/Given fields).
Nickname is optional (visible to colleges if you include it).
Address/Contact
Use an address where you can reliably receive mail. If you’re living abroad temporarily, provide a family member’s address who can receive official mail if needed.
If you move between the time you filled this out and when you’re submitting your applications, remember to update this.
Demographics/Language
Answer honestly (gender, sexual orientation, etc. — optional in many fields).
Language: list all languages you speak/read; include English even if it’s not your first language — colleges want the full picture.
Fee Waiver
If you have financial need, review the Common App fee waiver criteria and talk to your counselor — waivers must be approved and require evidence. (Common App provides fee waivers for eligible students.)
Family
Fields include household composition, parent/guardian education, occupation, and sibling info.
Household: select whom you live with (if “Other,” you’ll get a text box to explain). Be concise and factual.
Parents: If a parent is deceased or unknown, there are options — be honest and provide the brief context if needed.
Siblings: include full, half, and step siblings. If you have more than the space allows, list extras in Additional Information (under the Writing section).
Why this matters: Some scholarships and programs consider first-generation status, parent education, and household size.
Education
This section is dense — take a transcript to your counselor and/or refer to your school profile.
Current/Most Recent Secondary School
Use the Find School tool. If your school isn’t listed, ask your counselor for the exact format they want you to use.
If you are home-schooled or international schools that differ from U.S. systems, check with your counselor for how to report.
Other Secondary Schools
If you changed schools, list the others and provide short, factual reasons for the transfer (e.g., family move, specialized program). Keep explanations neutral and brief.
Colleges & Universities / Dual Enrollment
If you took college courses for credit (dual enrollment), indicate whether they were dual-credit (both high school & college credit) or college-credit-only. If the latter, you may need to upload a college transcript later.
GPA
Report your school’s GPA as your school calculates it. If your school reports both weighted and unweighted, report the weighted GPA (many schools prefer that). If your school uses a different scale, check with your counselor how they usually report to US universities.
Important: Don’t guess. Confirm with your counselor to avoid inconsistencies.
Current or Most Recent Year Courses
Enter senior-year courses exactly as they appear on your school schedule or transcript.
Choose the correct term (First Semester / Second Semester / Full Year).
For AP/IB/college-level courses that span a year, mark as “Full Year.”
Honors
This is where you list the academic-related awards and honors you’ve received. If you don’t have any awards/honors to list, don’t sweat it. Not all activities are competitive, and some students just don’t have the time, or have decided to dedicate their time elsewhere. If you do have awards/honors you’d want to list, here are some of my favorite tips:
List up to 5 awards/honors in order of importance, start with international, national, state, regional, school-wide, etc.
Spell out the award and explain acronyms, if the name of the award may be confusing or not that common, say what it means
Emphasize selectivity, impact, and whether you’ve won
Community-Based Organizations
These are nonprofit groups that help under-resourced students. If you worked with an organization like this, list it; otherwise, you can leave blank.
Future Plans
This is a short field about intended major/career. Put something aligned with your major choices. You can change it per school later if you apply to different majors.
Testing
Optional: many colleges are test-optional, but an increasing number still consider scores. Check each school’s test policy on the My Colleges page.
If you self-report scores, enter exact dates and scores (SAT/ACT/TOEFL/IELTS). You’ll still have to send official scores if a college requires them.
For TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo: check each college’s minimums and the validity window (some treat tests older than 2 years as invalid).
Activities (up to 10 entries)
Quality trumps quantity. Admissions officers want impact, growth, leadership, initiative and/or consistent dedication.
How to make each activity count:
Title: e.g., “Varsity Volleyball — Outside Hitter” (include position/role).
Position/Leadership: e.g., “Team Captain (2023–24)”
Organization name: exact club/team label
Activity type: choose the closest category from the dropdown
Description (150 characters): Use strong action verbs + impact; quantify when possible. Example: “Led speed-training program for 12 teammates; improved team win rate 30%.”
Timing: estimate weekly hours and months per year (be realistic).
Order matters: Put your most meaningful activities first — Common App displays the list in the order you give. If you’re looking for ways to upgrade your activities list so the descriptions pack more information + impact, read this blog.
Writing
Personal Essay (650 words max)
Choose ONE Common App prompt and draft offline. Paste into the Common App when finalized. The 2025–2026 prompts remained the same — they can guide you but don’t limit creative options.
Sometimes, the structure and typography will not transfer over accurately when you copy-and-paste text into Common App. Be sure to double-check that your essay looks exactly how you intend it to look after you’ve pasted it into the Common App text box.
If you’re having trouble choosing a prompt or brainstorm your personal statement topic and content, Check out our guide for putting together your personal statement.
Additional Information
This is a 300-word, optional space for you to include extra information you want colleges to know. It’s not required, but it’s also not a space for a second personal statement. The key is to keep what you put here short and to-the-point, focusing on specificity and scope of impact. For more information on formatting and tips, check out this blog.
In the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, the Common App has changed the “Community disruption” section to the “challenges and circumstances” section. It’s a 250-word section where you can include information on anything that has impacted your academics or extracurricular involvement.
Details you might consider mentioning in this section include:
Lack of access to a safe and quiet study space
Lack of access to reliable technology and internet
Community disruption (violence, protests, teacher strikes, etc.)
Discrimination
Family disruptions (divorce, incarceration, job loss, health, loss of a family member, addiction, etc.)
Family or other obligations (care-taking, financial support, etc.)
Housing instability, displacement, or homelessness
Military deployment or activation
Natural disasters
Challenges related to physical health and mental well-being
War, conflict, or other hardships
Other things might include:
Helping family members with doctors appointments, bank visits, visa interviews, cooking, cleaning, or translating
Managing family finances or providing transportation
Taking care of sick relatives or younger siblings for more than 4 hours per week
Yard or farm work
Working at a paid job to pay household expenses
Courses & Grades (only required by some colleges)
If a college requires self-reported courses/grades, you’ll need semester-by-semester entries for each year (or final grades). Have your transcript handy; this is time-consuming but important. Confirm whether your school reports mid-year or final grades to colleges later.
Adding & Managing “My Colleges”
Before you add schools in your Common App, do some in-depth research to decide which colleges might best fit your ideal college experience and interests. Check out this blog for a step-by-step guide on how to build your college list.
Use College Search to add schools, and filter by test policy, fees, deadlines, majors, and geography.
Carefully check the exact school name and city, some are easily confused (e.g., Miami University vs. University of Miami).
After adding a school, go to My Colleges → click the school name to see specific requirements (supplemental essays, recommendations, fee, test policy). You’ll see green checks as sections are completed.
Strategy tip: Add each college early — some supplemental essay prompts don’t reveal until you confirm your intended major or answer a short question. Answer those major-specific questions as soon as you’ve decided so you have ample time to work on your supplemental essays. Check out our blog on ways to save time for your supplemental essays.
Recommenders, FERPA, & Counselor Portals
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)
You must complete the FERPA Release Authorization before entering recommenders. You'll be asked whether to waive your right to view letters of recommendation (most applicants waive because confidential letters are viewed as more credible). This waiver is applied to all colleges at once.
Inviting recommenders
Check each college’s required & optional letters (teacher evaluation, counselor evaluation, other) under your “My Colleges” tab.
One teacher’s letter can be sent to multiple schools; base the number of teacher recommendations on the school that requires the most.
If your counselor uses a platform (like Naviance), follow your school’s directions — some schools require recommenders to be invited on Naviance, not Common App.
Once you fill in your recommenders’ contact information, they will receive an email from Common App, asking them to write and submit a recommendation on your behalf. Be sure to ask them whether they’d be willing to write you a recommendation before you enter their information in the Common App.
Timing: Ask recommenders at least 4–6 weeks before deadlines. Provide a short packet: current transcript, activities list (short), your personal statement (if available), what you intend to major in, recommendation deadlines, and a paragraph describing what you'd like them to emphasize. This will keep the content of their recommendations aligned to what you have in your own application.
Submitting, Tracking, & Post-Submission Steps
Before you submit, have your counselor, external consultant (if you have one), parent, or mentor give your application a full look before submitting. You can add them as an “advisor” if you want to invite them to view your application.
Checklist Before Submit
All required sections are “green” for that college
FERPA completed and recommenders invited (and confirmation sent)
Personal statement and supplemental essays pasted and formatted properly
Supporting documents uploaded for schools that require them
Fees paid or fee waivers approved
After Submission
Watch your Common App Dashboard and individual college portals for confirmation emails
Some colleges will require you to create a portal account, monitor them for scholarship prompts and housing
Keep your grades up since colleges reserve the right to rescind offers if your senior-year performance drops significantly
That’s it! If you have any questions, need someone to take a second look, or don’t know where to start, feel free to reach out. We’d love to help!