Common app Vs Coalition App

Every year prospective undergraduate students apply to thousands of colleges and universities. On average, every candidate fills out 7-10 college applications in order to get into their desired university. Managing applications for these many colleges can be a huge task for candidates. However, with two application portals the Common Application and the Coalition Application, you can apply to multiple schools at once. In this article, we will inform you about the Common App vs the Coalition App, their major features, and which one is suitable for you.

What is a Common App?

The Common App or Common Application is the most sought-after college application by prospective international students. Also, the Common App covers the most number of colleges and universities in the US and other major study-abroad study destinations. It covers more than 1,000 colleges and universities globally. So, students have the option to select from the largest pool of schools.

Candidates can apply to up to 20 colleges through Common App, however, the application for each school cannot be the same as most of the colleges require students to submit additional information along with the regular application material. So, candidates need to submit the application material as demanded by the university specifically. Also, there are no charges for using the Common App, however, candidates need to pay an application fee to certain colleges while submitting their application.

What is a Coalition App?

Introduced in 2015, The Coalition App is relatively a new application option for prospective students. Similar to the Common App, it is a free platform that colleges and universities can use to offer their applications. Recently more and more schools have started using it.

Currently, many top colleges and universities are using this platform, however, if you compare the number with Common App. Presently, students can choose only from 132 schools that are available on the Coalition App as compared to almost 774 schools on the Common App platform. Apart from all the Ivy League colleges, prominent universities like John Hopkins University, Stanford, and the University of Chicago are included in the Coalition Application platform.

Similar to the Common Application, candidates can use the Coalition App for free, they need to pay an additional fee to schools which demand an application fee at the time of applying. One major difference between the platforms is the Coalition App accepts colleges that offer significant financial support via scholarships or financial aid to underprivileged or low-income candidates.

Note: Both are designed to facilitate the application process smooth for candidates, neither of them will give you any kind of advantage with your admissions.

Common App Pros & Cons

This system exists since 1975 and has established itself as the first choice not just amongst prospective students but schools as well. Let us check it out whether it is enough for you to go for this system or not.

Pros

• Advantage for students: They have the option of choosing from a large number of educational institutions
• With the rollover feature, students can work on their application early and save the information as they proceed
• Students have the option to choose from a large number of essay prompts

Cons

• Locker tool facility missing from the Common App
• With such a huge number of students using it, the interface might run slow especially when the application deadlines are around the corner

Coalition Application Pros & Cons

Established in 2015, let us look at the pros & cons of the Coalition App.

Pros

• Students get the chance to apply to colleges that offer financial aid affordable education
• Candidates have the option to add parents, guardians, or teachers to their account, so, they can check the status of the application
• With locker tool, students can store relevant admission documents like LORs, Essays, and score sheets

Cons

• As the Coalition App is relatively new not many people are familiar with its interface, which can be a little difficult for first-time users
• Students get less number of colleges to choose from

Colleges that do not accept either the Common or Coalition App

Although both the systems are quite popular amongst the students looking to pursue their undergraduate, many schools accept neither the Coalition nor the Common App. For these colleges, candidates either have to submit the application individually or through any other centralized application system. Some schools even have their own university systems through which students can apply.

Some schools that not accept Common or Coalition App

• University of California system (including UC Berkeley or UCLA)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Georgetown University
• California State University System
• Brigham Young University

Common App vs Coalition App: Which one you should use?

The biggest advantage of both these platforms is that candidates can apply to multiple schools through one college application system without having to apply the individual. Candidates who wish to go through the whole application process once and that too with simple steps, then you should go for the Common App. You just need to submit all your basic details and write one personal statement and you are ready to apply to your list of selected colleges. Also, with such a huge number of schools on its platform, it is possible that all of your selected colleges are there on the Common App.

If your financial condition is such that you need significant financial aid to pay for your college, in that case, you should go for the Coalition App. Nearly all the schools in this application provide considerable financial aid to prospective students. Those who are from a low-income and underrepresented background and seeking financial support can go for the Coalition App, as here you will get a chance to go to a college that offers support to underprivileged students.

Also Read

• How to Write a Common App Essay Part 1
• How to Write a Common App Essay Part 2