By filling out a common application, students save the time they would spend on filling out multiple applications to different colleges. They could then focus on their senior year of high school and engage in other activities to research their college choices. Students may also save some of the money they would spend by sending multiple applications to different colleges. There is also a common admission form for students who wish to transfer from one college to another.
Colleges have different admissions processes that take into account subjective factors about an applicant, as well as objective factors such as grades. Subjective criteria include factors such as letters of recommendation, applicant essays and consideration of factors such as the applicant's ethnicity to meet college diversity objectives. If a college uses only grades and test scores to gauge applicants, it cannot become a participant in the common application program. Students cannot apply to these colleges using the common application.
Some colleges, such as Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, accept the common application but also require applicants to use their supplementary admission form. This supplementary information form helps them get additional input that they may require that the common application does not provide. This gives the colleges more control over the input. A number of other colleges, including Boston University, Brown University, Carleton College and California Institute of Technology also require students to fill out supplementary information.
For some other schools that accept common applications, it is sufficient if an applicant sends only a common application. They don't require the student to fill out any supplementary application. This list includes schools such as Loyola University, Marietta College, Meredith College, St. Mary's University of Minnesota, Berry College, Trinity University, University of Tampa, University of Tulsa and Salem College. These colleges may or may not require applicants to also send in an evaluation of them by a teacher.