If you’re applying to colleges, you’ve probably heard of the Common App. But did you know there’s also a Coalition App? Both the Common App and the Coalition App let you apply to multiple colleges with one application, but they differ in tools, audience, and participating schools.
Since 1975, the Common App has been a widely accepted platform used by over 1,000 colleges including Ivy League, public, and private institutions.
Launched in 2015 by the Coalition for College Access, the Coalition App is smaller (150+ colleges) and mission‑focused on equitable access, affordability, and support for underrepresented students.
Coalition member schools must meet standards for affordability, student support, and strong graduation rates, which is why the list includes many top‑ranked private and public universities. Click here to see the full list.
Key Differences
- Number of Participating Colleges
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- Common App: 900–1,000+ colleges
- Coalition App: 150+ colleges
- Mission & Target Audience
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- Common App: General platform for all students.
- Coalition App: Strong focus on underrepresented, first‑generation, and low‑income students.
- Platform Tools
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- Common App:
- Rollover feature (saves info year to year).
- Highly familiar to most counselors.
- Coalition App:
- Digital Locker for storing essays, projects, and other materials.
- Collaboration Space for working with mentors.
- Common App:
- Essay & Activities
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- Common App: 650‑word personal essay; up to 10 activities.
- Coalition App: Prompts differ slightly; emphasizes top 2 activities, allows up to 8.
The Coalition App is a good choice for marginalized students seeking colleges with robust financial aid programs, while the Common App is ideal for students applying broadly and seeking widespread counselor support and familiarity.
As of recent years, all Coalition schools also accept the Common App for first-year students, making the Common App a more universally compatible option. So if your college list is broad, the Common App usually covers more of it.
Other Apps
Although the Common App and Coalition App are both popular in the college application process, there are some colleges that do not accept either one.
With these colleges, you must submit your application through an entirely different system. This could be another centralized college application system, such as the Universal College App (currently used only by the University of Charleston), or, more likely, a platform that’s entirely unique to the school.
Here are some well-known schools that DO NOT accept the Common App or Coalition App:
- Brigham Young University
- California State University system
- Georgetown
- MIT
- United States Military Academy (West Point)
- United States Naval Academy
- University of California system (including UCLA and UC Berkeley)
In addition, some schools that use the Common App and/or Coalition App have their own university systems as well (meaning you can choose whether to apply through the school’s online system or the Common App/Coalition App).
The Common App and Coalition App are both platforms designed to simplify the college application process, but they differ in their features, target audiences, and the number of colleges they support.
The type of application system your schools use in the admissions process will have a big impact on whether you ultimately choose to use the Coalition or Common App (or both—or neither!).
