What’s New with the Common App: 2025–2026

Thanks to Common App for great webinar update today….Here’s points to remember come August 1st, 2025

 The 2025–2026 Common App cycle launches August 1, 2025. Below is a recap of the most important changes, features, and reminders for students and parents working through the application process. Whether you're applying to one school or twenty, these updates aim to make your experience smoother and more supportive.

✨ No Changes to Essay Prompts

·        The seven personal essay prompts will remain the same as last year, allowing students to begin drafting early.

·        This consistency helps students focus more on authentic storytelling than adjusting to new topics.

🆕 User Interface Update

•        The Common App now has a redesigned layout with a left-side navigation menu (instead of tabs on top).

•        Students will see clearer dashboards, progress tracking bars, and easier navigation between sections.

•        College Search, Financial Aid, and Scholarship tools have their own dedicated tabs under a new 'Explore' category.

✍️ Essay & Writing Section Changes

Ø  The Additional Information question is now limited to 300 words (down from 650).

Ø  The optional ‘Community Disruption’ question has been renamed to ‘Challenges and Circumstances’ to better reflect a broader range of personal hardships.

Ø  Students should only respond to this question if they have significant context to provide.

📋 Student Responsibilities Checklist Added

Ø  A new checklist in the Activities section lets students report significant responsibilities like caregiving, financial support, or household duties.

Ø  This optional section does not include an essay—just checkboxes to highlight unseen commitments.

 💸 Expanded Scholarship Matching

• The Common App now matches eligible students with local and national scholarships before they apply to college.

• Students with U.S. addresses are automatically matched; Colorado students must opt in during account creation.

• To be matched, complete your Profile, Education, and Activities sections early.

📬 Direct Admissions Offers

• Over 700,000 students received direct admissions offers this year from 136 colleges, including public institutions.

• Many offers come with waived requirements (e.g., no essays, no letters). Students can review offers directly in the application.

🏫 Community Colleges Now on Common App

• Students can now apply to a growing number of community colleges using the Common App.

• A new filter allows you to search specifically for associate-degree granting institutions.

📌 Final Reminders

• Students can add up to 20 colleges in their Common App account.

• Recommender and advisor invites DO NOT roll over after August 1—students must re-invite teachers and counselors after signing the new FERPA waiver.

• Counselor and teacher accounts remain active and may carry over students from previous years.

More on potential impact of Covid19 to College Students

*Bloomberg Businessweek’s article ‘Colleges with empty campuses face uncertain future’ - Moody’s Investors Service last month downgraded the credit outlook for the higher education sector to negative.

*Pass - Fail could hurt college students trying to transfer or when applying to Grad or Professional Schools - The Hechinger Report offers some insight

Covid19 considerations for Higher Ed

After several days of web conferences with higher education, I believe it necessary to highlight some of the growing areas of concern resulting from Covid-19:

• Many colleges have been substantially impacted financially by Covid-19. This may be especially true for smaller regional public institutions and lesser known private colleges. If your child is planning on attending one of these types of schools, you need to ask how the 2020-2021 operating budget could be impacted, and if your child’s scholarship might result in some type of adjustment from year to year (however, if you are in the process of appealing for financial aid, do not ask these types of questions until you have the final financial aid decision).

• All colleges have lost substantial revenues this current semester, and will most likely continue to do so during the summer (they are trying to determine if programing, available courses and faculty/staff, and resources need to be reduced for school year 2020-2021).

• For students enrolling in comprehensive learning support programs, it is essential to ascertain if the program will continue at the same level of programming and professionalism for 2020-2021.

• Fall Semester classes may be impacted too (we just do not know) – you may want to ask if deposits are refundable if the college is not able to provide in-person, on-campus instruction and residential life (and if tuition and fees might be modified if students end up with distance learning).

• Finally, many families have been impacted financially, and many have lost employment. It is NOT too late to appeal a financial aid decision or file for financial aid – contact the college’s financial aid office for guidance (I’m happy to talk you through this process before you connect with the college).

Every week seems to offer us some new aspect from the fallout of Covid-19. These perspectives may look different by the end of April, and again by the end of June, and even August. But I do want you to be aware of the possible implications for school year 2020-2021 sooner rather than later.

Your children are resilient like their parents. With every change, comes an opportunity. I am anticipating that colleges will rise to this moment, and be more innovative and adjust accordingly. I am confident that our youth will emerge as even stronger, more creative, better problem solvers.

Today’s AP Article highlights these growing concerns - Financial Hits pile up for Colleges as some fight to survive

Southwest and Southeast Texas Schools & Colleges adjust for Hurricane Harvey Aftermath

Texas Schools, Colleges Postpone Classes To Assess Harvey’s Damage

NACAC Post 8/30 & 8/29

Over 1 Million Students In Texas Affected By Harvey.

USA Today (8/30, Toppo) reports because of Hurricane Harvey, Houston schools are closed as are “systems throughout the region.” Superintendent Richard Carranza “said he hoped to begin classes on Sept. 5.” The Texas Education Agency said the story affected “more than 1 million students in 244 public and charter school districts statewide.” Apart from those schools that are closed, some “in nearby districts” are “serving as shelters.” Some schools have been inspected for water damage, while many others are inaccessible due to flooding. To help, ED “activated its emergency response contact center” and “is taking part in daily briefings led by the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA.” It is also granting “‘administrative flexibilities’ on federal student aid rules.”

        Houston Students To Receive Free Meals For The Year. The Houston Press (8/30, Fanelli) reports, “The Houston Independent School District has announced that all HISD students will receive free meals for the 2017-2018 school year.” That is due to waivers being granted by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture which fund the school meal programs.

        ED Easing Financial Aid Rules For Students Affected By Harvey. The AP (8/30, Danilova) reports ED “is easing financial aid rules and procedures for those affected by Harvey.” ED has issued a statement saying that schools may use “professional judgment” in deciding “to adjust a student’s financial information in the aftermath of Harvey” and “may even be able to waive certain paperwork requirements if documents were destroyed.”

The Wall Street Journal (8/28, Korn, Hobbs, Subscription Publication) reports the Houston Independent School District, the seventh-largest district in the nation, was scheduled to start the new school year on Monday; however, Tropical Storm Harvey caused unprecedented flooding that filled a number of classrooms and district facilities with water. More than two dozen southeast Texas public school districts will remain closed through at least Sept. 5 for damage assessments, and regional colleges and universities have suspended classes, relocated students living on campus to other housing facilities, and postponed events.

        Dallas ISD Ready To Help Students Displaced By Hurricane Harvey. The Dallas Morning News (8/28, Smith) reports, “Dallas ISD is making plans to help students displaced by Hurricane Harvey.” DISD news and information director Robyn Harris said, “we’re certainly ready to help out our brethren from the Gulf Coast.” Those hosted at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center shelter “will be offered seats in three DISD schools: North Dallas High School, Spence Middle School and Kennedy Elementary School,” with proof of residency, birth certificate, and immunization records requirements waived and the district providing transportation. Harris also “said that the district would have its counselors, social workers and psychologists on-call to help students deal with the emotional impact of the hurricane and its aftermath.” According to a Facebook post by DISD trustee Miguel Solis, the district plans to offer “information, on-site enrollment and counseling services” at the shelter and the Texas Education Agency will work with the district’s Food and Child Nutrition Services to provide food to the evacuees.

Houston area event - Feb 12th National Ctr for Learning Disabilities Conversation

Join Us For An Evening With

Janet Steinmayer

Mitchell College President

and

Mimi Corcoran

 National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) 

 President & CEO

Sunday, February 12

5:30-7:30pm

Business Attire

River Oaks Country Club

1600 River Oaks Boulevard 

Houston, Texas 77019 | 713-529-4321

RSVP to Jacqueline Jewett at jewett_j@mitchell.edu