4 min readโขseptember 28, 2021
Meriem Bazine
Meriem Bazine
Agh, the age-old question! There are so many different applications you can use to apply to college. The list ๐ below presents the pros and cons of the four most common application choices. Then we will dive into the details of which application would be best for you to use. For some people, one application is clearly "best," while others opt to apply to college through multiple applications. This depends on which colleges they are applying to, of course ๐คฉ.
The most important consideration in choosing an applicationโwhich applications are accepted by the colleges that you want to apply to?ย The links below take you to a list of the colleges which accept each application. Look through the list of colleges to find whether the schools you are interested in accept that application. Some colleges are available on multiple applications. You can apply to those schools through either application; one application service over another will not change the likelihood of admission. However, it is easier to use one service over multiple since you will not have to add your information twice!
This is the most used application, accepted by 916 colleges.ย
This application covers over 150+ colleges, many of which are also covered by Common App. Coalition schools are required to meet a specific criteria for financial affordability, success rate, and access to disadvantaged students. Some of the Coalition Application schools covered include:
American University
Barnard College
Cal Tech
Duke University
Emory University
Franklin and Marshall College
Harvard University
Illinois University
Johns Hopkins University
Knox College
Loyola Marymount University
Michigan State University
This application covers 25 schools all over the New York City area (Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island), including:
CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
LaGuardia Community College
New York City College of Technology
Queens College
The City College of New York
This application covers 9 University of California schools:
UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UC Merced
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz
High school transcript
Extracurricular activities list
SAT/ACT score (unless applying test optional)
Parent or guardian information
Awards list
Essay (Common App essay prompts and Coalition essay prompts)
Recommendations (depends on the school that you are applying to)
(Optional) Coalition Locker filled with pictures, materials, and other important documents that you would want to send to colleges
The Common Application and Coalition Application will have different essay prompts, so you won't necessarily be able to submit the same essays for both applications.
Generally speaking, if financial aid is a priority, I would recommend the Coalition Application. However, Common App is excellent if you want an application that many around you are using, so it may be easier for you to get help from peers and counselors. You should use CUNY or UC if you are looking to apply to specific colleges in New York or California.
Application Type | Schools Covered | Pros | Cons |
Common Application | 916 | Commonly used, so it is easier to get help from peers and mentors, You can apply to more schools through one application than other application types. | |
Coalition for College Application | 150+ | Schools have to meet the criteria for affordability, success, and access. You can apply to multiple colleges through this application and, while there are not as many as the common app, there are a significant amount of schools to choose from. | At times, this application can be a bit slow. It has many components (like "the locker"), so it may be confusing to some people. |
UC Application | 9 | You can apply to multiple UC schools from this one application. | Most out-of-state students pay non-resident tuition, adding an extra $29,754 (2019-2020 year) to annual tuition.ย Not all schools in California are includedโsome state and private schools do not accept this application. |
CUNY Application | 25 | There are a variety of schools that accept this application from different concentrations/majors. This application covers schools from a wide span of areas in New York City. |
Yes, absolutely! You can use a combination if some schools you are applying to are only on one application and not the other. However, this will take more work than only using one application.
Some schools require that you use their unique application so you will not see them listed as accepting any of these four applications. Just go to the their website to find the application process.
Nope. Not at all. Colleges do not prefer one over the other.ย
4 min readโขseptember 28, 2021
Meriem Bazine
Meriem Bazine
Agh, the age-old question! There are so many different applications you can use to apply to college. The list ๐ below presents the pros and cons of the four most common application choices. Then we will dive into the details of which application would be best for you to use. For some people, one application is clearly "best," while others opt to apply to college through multiple applications. This depends on which colleges they are applying to, of course ๐คฉ.
The most important consideration in choosing an applicationโwhich applications are accepted by the colleges that you want to apply to?ย The links below take you to a list of the colleges which accept each application. Look through the list of colleges to find whether the schools you are interested in accept that application. Some colleges are available on multiple applications. You can apply to those schools through either application; one application service over another will not change the likelihood of admission. However, it is easier to use one service over multiple since you will not have to add your information twice!
This is the most used application, accepted by 916 colleges.ย
This application covers over 150+ colleges, many of which are also covered by Common App. Coalition schools are required to meet a specific criteria for financial affordability, success rate, and access to disadvantaged students. Some of the Coalition Application schools covered include:
American University
Barnard College
Cal Tech
Duke University
Emory University
Franklin and Marshall College
Harvard University
Illinois University
Johns Hopkins University
Knox College
Loyola Marymount University
Michigan State University
This application covers 25 schools all over the New York City area (Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island), including:
CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
LaGuardia Community College
New York City College of Technology
Queens College
The City College of New York
This application covers 9 University of California schools:
UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UC Merced
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz
High school transcript
Extracurricular activities list
SAT/ACT score (unless applying test optional)
Parent or guardian information
Awards list
Essay (Common App essay prompts and Coalition essay prompts)
Recommendations (depends on the school that you are applying to)
(Optional) Coalition Locker filled with pictures, materials, and other important documents that you would want to send to colleges
The Common Application and Coalition Application will have different essay prompts, so you won't necessarily be able to submit the same essays for both applications.
Generally speaking, if financial aid is a priority, I would recommend the Coalition Application. However, Common App is excellent if you want an application that many around you are using, so it may be easier for you to get help from peers and counselors. You should use CUNY or UC if you are looking to apply to specific colleges in New York or California.
Application Type | Schools Covered | Pros | Cons |
Common Application | 916 | Commonly used, so it is easier to get help from peers and mentors, You can apply to more schools through one application than other application types. | |
Coalition for College Application | 150+ | Schools have to meet the criteria for affordability, success, and access. You can apply to multiple colleges through this application and, while there are not as many as the common app, there are a significant amount of schools to choose from. | At times, this application can be a bit slow. It has many components (like "the locker"), so it may be confusing to some people. |
UC Application | 9 | You can apply to multiple UC schools from this one application. | Most out-of-state students pay non-resident tuition, adding an extra $29,754 (2019-2020 year) to annual tuition.ย Not all schools in California are includedโsome state and private schools do not accept this application. |
CUNY Application | 25 | There are a variety of schools that accept this application from different concentrations/majors. This application covers schools from a wide span of areas in New York City. |
Yes, absolutely! You can use a combination if some schools you are applying to are only on one application and not the other. However, this will take more work than only using one application.
Some schools require that you use their unique application so you will not see them listed as accepting any of these four applications. Just go to the their website to find the application process.
Nope. Not at all. Colleges do not prefer one over the other.ย
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