Common App Setup, Step by Step
On July 28th, 2026, the Common App website will temporarily go offline as colleges refresh their applications. The website will come back online August 1st, at which point every application will be fully updated with changed questions or new supplemental essay prompts.
With eight days remaining before the temporary shutdown, now is a great time to get your Common App account set up. That way, come August 1st, you can jump right into your applications.
Step One: Create an Account
You’ll find the Common Application at commonapp.org.
Once you’ve followed the link, click “Create an account” in the upper right, then select whichever account type applies to you. For most of you, that will be “First year student.”
The following page will ask you for basic information such as your name, birthday, email address, phone number, and the year you intend to start college. You’ll also create a password for your Common App account.
Step Two: Check out ‘My Common Application’
After logging into your new account, take a look at the menu options on the lefthand sidebar and select “My Common Application.”
Seven subheadings will appear in this section:
Profile
Family
Education
Testing
Activities
Writing
Courses and Grades
Take a look at each section now to get a sense of what they ask for.
With possible exceptions like Writing, Testing, and Activities, you can complete most of these sections now. You can fill out information in My Common Application right up until you submit your applications, so you don’t need to rush to complete your writing or standardized testing. It’s common to leave the Activities section for later, since many students update their resumes after summer and during senior fall.
The information you provide in My Common Application will go to all of the colleges that you apply to, so you only need to fill it out once.
Step Three: Complete as Many Sections in My Common Application as You Can
Most of these sections ask for very basic information, but you might need the help of a parent or guardian for certain parts.
The more information you provide now, the less work you will have to do in the fall.
Step Four: Add Colleges to Your Common App
Look again at the menu options on the sidebar. Click on “College search.”
If you already know what colleges you’ll be applying to, search for them in this section, and hit “+ Add” to add them to your Common App. Those schools will now appear in the “MyColleges” section—the graduation cap symbol in the sidebar.
Note: during the refresh at the end of July, any work you’ve done on individual college applications will be deleted. For now, just add your colleges, then wait until August 1st to begin answering their questions and writing supplemental essays.
Step Five: Wait for August 1st
You’re all done setting up your Common App! Come August 1st, you can start filling out college applications in earnest.
Until then, we encourage you to get your resume up-to-date and, if you haven’t already, start drafting your personal statement.
If you have any questions about the Common App, college applications, or writing the personal statement, please reach out to Christine at christine@chapmaneducation.org. We are always happy to help!
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