Let’s start with news on the writing requirements and meaningful CHANGES to the Common App. Here are the writing requirements that will stay the SAME:
- Main Essay prompts – no change – see them and my tips here.
- Activity Section – no change to how you report your activities (up to 10), but they’ve added a mandatory checklist response that I’ll explain below.
- Because I’m frequently asked who answers which prompt, I’ll share stats from this past cycle as an FYI. But…remember it truly doesn’t matter WHICH prompt you select as long as your answer fits generally into what they’re asking. In this past cycle, prompts in order of popularity were as follows: Free Choice (28%); Facing Adversity (22%); Personal Growth (20%); Background, identity, interest of talent (18%); Intellectual Curiosity (5%); and tied at last were the Gratitude (3%) and Challenging an Idea (3%) prompts.
Here are the CHANGES announced for the 2025-26 cycle:
- The Additional Information (optional) question is the same, but the maximum word count is only 300 this year (vs 650 before). They found that the average responses were much shorter, and this syncs with my advice – keep it simple & brief! More here.
- They DELETED the Community Disruption question & renamed it “Challenges & Circumstances” (up to 250 words max). Interesting that 100,000 applicants answered the pandemic-triggered Community Disruption in 2024-25 (vs 300,000 in 2020-21). The average number of words applicants used for this response was less than 200. More on this here.
- NEW for all applicants this cycle is the required “Responsibilities & Circumstances” checklist (no writing, just a checklist) where students can indicate if they spend 4 hours or more a week on family responsibilities or general circumstances. This is something the Common App tested in pilot form for three cycles and decided to implement this year system-wide. Note – there is STILL an option in the MAIN ACTIVITY LIST SECTION to select “Family Responsibility” if that applies (caregiving, babysitting, etc.). On this new CHECKLIST, while it’s required, you CAN check “none of the above.” I grabbed a screenshot to show you.
- ACT/SAT Test Reporting – They’ve added an option to report with or without science and writing (both optional for the online test). And to avoid confusion, they’re updating the grid of colleges so students are clearer on WHO requires test scores, INCLUDING these sometimes optional sections (science + writing).
Important Reminders:
- The Common App officially launches AUGUST 1 for the Class of 2026. You CAN (but don’t need to) start your account earlier. I heard that scholarship matching can start BEFORE you apply, so that might be a reason to go ahead and set up your account now. IF you do that (optional), please keep the following in mind:
- Account rollover continues, meaning IF you start your account prior to 8/1, only SOME of the information will roll over into your actual application. See below for specifics.
- Remember to download any information you entered prior to July 28 because the system will go offline before launching.
More Common App Updates:
- Direct Admissions will continue in 2025-26. That means that partnering member institutions will grant proactive admissions offers to select first-generation & low/middle-income students. More info to be posted in Fall 2025.
- As mentioned above, the Common App expanded its Scholarship Matching capabilities, so definitely check that out! Students can now match to opportunities BEFORE applying. See the slide below for more information.
That’s all for now! I hope this helps you anticipate application season! As the number of applicants AND applications continues to increase, it’s important to stand out and present a polished application package. As of TODAY, there are 66 days until LAUNCH DAY (August 1), so you have plenty of time to take the first steps I recommend: research college list, draft Activity List, and draft your Main Essay. Then, focus on supplements that will be confirmed between now and August 1.
