Common App is an American online platform that many universities in the United States use to simplify the application process for students.

Click Start or Create an account to create your account for submitting applications. Select First year student.

Fill out your information, including your name, email address, and password. Make sure you use an up-to-date email address as you will receive notifications from universities.

When filling in your date of birth, keep in mind that in the U.S. when writing dates, the month comes first, then the number. Therefore, 04.08 reads as April eighth, not August fourth.

After creating an account, you will be able to add the colleges you plan to apply to. In the College search section, start searching for your preferred universities and add them to the My Colleges list.

Under College information, you can see general information about the college and the start date for applications.

You must complete the general information about you for each college in the Questions section. The list of questions may vary between the institutions.

Common items:

• General — general information about the student when he or she is about to begin studies;
• Academics — the direction chosen for education;
• Activities — extracurricular activities such as sports, music, literary clubs;
• Family — family information and contacts of relatives, guardians;
• Conduct — information about disciplinary offenses, legal problems or administrative arrests.

Profile

Gender, home address, where you are from and what languages you speak.

Education

Your learning history, including school name, graduation year, and other academic data.

Testing

If you have certificates such as SAT or IELTS, submit them in this field. Common App lets you attach official test score reports.

Activities

Describe your extracurricular activities, clubs, sports, and other interests.

Writing

Here you can upload your motivation letter and other materials if required.

If universities require letters of recommendation, provide contact information for the recommenders in the Recommenders and FERPA section under the selected university. Faculty or employers will receive an invitation to send recommendations via Common App.

Once all sections have been completed, you can proceed to payment. Colleges usually charge an application fee. This is usually $30-$75 depending on the college.

After payment, click Submit or Send to send applications to the selected universities.

Upon submitting applications, you will be able to monitor their status through your Common App account and receive notifications of college decisions.

Follow the instructions and requirements of each specific college, as some may have additional steps or documents that need to be submitted. Make sure you complete all required items and sections.