Can You Use Both Common App and Coalition App?

Submitting applications to different colleges can be stressful and exhausting. Fortunately, many US schools use centralized application systems, and two very popular ones are a Common Application (or Common App) and the Coalition Application (or Coalition App). But since it takes a lot of time to fill either one, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could reuse them?

As a general rule, using the Common App and Coalition App at the same time is possible, which means a student may create an account on both systems for free. However, a student may apply to a school using only one app. Schools that accept both the Common App and Coalition App do not have a preference between the two.

Especially if the schools you wish to apply to use the Common App and Coalition App, you can save a great deal of time and energy. Still, many students cannot decide which of the two application systems they should go for if the schools on their list accept both — many of them wonder which app can maximize their chance of getting accepted.

Read on if you are having a difficult time choosing between the two. Below, you will come across some of the most critical matters you need to know about the Common App and Coalition App.

Key Differences Between Common and Coalition Apps

It’s a good idea to know some of the main differences between the Common App and the Coalition app before choosing which of them you should go for, provided that the schools you are applying to use any of them.

Check out this table that compares the characteristics of the two application systems:

	Common App	Coalition App
Founding date	1975	2016
Number of schools served	over 900	around 140
Registration cost	free	free
Number of essay prompts	7	5
Essay word count	250 to 650	500 to 650
Due date	RD: January 1/ED: November 1	RD: January 1/ED: November 1
Mobile app	yes	no
Best time to register	summer before 12th grade	as early as 9th grade
Exclusive features	rollover feature	locker and MyCoalition features

Before we proceed to the next topic, let’s make two things clear:

• It’s true that creating a Common App and Coalition App is free of charge. However, you will still have to pay the application fee the school you apply to will ask, although you may apply for a fee waiver.

• The application deadline for both the Common App and Coalition App may vary, depending on the school. So, in other words, these application systems follow the application deadlines of the schools using them.

Just because the Common App and the Coalition App are some of the most popular application systems in the US doesn’t mean that they are the perfect application systems on the face of the planet. Each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, and knowing them can help you make an informed decision.

Common App Pros:

• Many schools use it. One of the biggest advantages of the Common App is that it’s being used by more than 900 schools. As a matter of fact, there are learning institutions outside the US that use the application system, too. More and more schools are being added to the list.

• More counselors and teachers use it, too. Because the Common App has been around for nearly five decades now, it isn’t surprising why more people are familiar with it. This can come in handy when students with Common App accounts need to ask for letters of recommendation from their counselors and teachers.

• Easier personal essays. There are a couple of reasons why many students might find it easier to write personal essays using the Common App. First, a total of seven essay prompts are available for them to choose from. Second, the minimum word count is set at 250.

Common App Cons:

• Slow technical response. Even though it’s been around since 1975, the Common App isn’t free of technical problems. It can be difficult to get technical support, especially when deadlines are fast approaching, as there are more than one million students that use the application system a year.

• Sluggish interface. Whether you are using the desktop site or mobile app, you may experience a slow-running user interface. The sluggishness is more noticeable before January 1 and November 1 when many students are rushing to beat the application deadline.

Coalition App Pros:

• Ideal for students on a tight budget. The full name of the Coalition App is “Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success”. Needless to say, schools that use the application system are willing to provide assistance to low-income, under-resourced and first-generation applicants.

• Has a locker feature. Students in the 9th grade can start having their Coalition App accounts. That’s because it allows them to save and organize videos, essays and other materials that can come in handy when it’s time for them to apply to their preferred colleges or universities.

• Collaboration with others is possible. It’s possible for students with Coalition App accounts to add people who can provide guidance or advice to improve their chance of getting accepted. Some of those that they may collaborate with include parents, teachers and counselors.

Coalition App Cons:

• Not all schools use it. Earlier, it was mentioned that there are only around 140 schools that use the Coalition App. The majority of them are prominent schools known for their steep tuition fees, such as the Ivy Leagues — all eight Ivy League schools use the Coalition app.

• Less user-friendly. Because the Coalition App has been around for only a few years now, it doesn’t come as a surprise why there’s still plenty of room for improvement. Many students who have already tried using the Coalition App say that the interface is not that intuitive and navigable.

Before we proceed with the next topic, let’s answer this question:

Using Common App essay as Coalition

It is possible to use a Common App essay as a Coalition App essay and vice versa. After all, the goal of these application systems is to help save students a great deal of time. However, a few adjustments may have to be made, particularly when it comes to the minimum word count required.

Schools That Use Common App and Coalition App

To date, there are more than 900 colleges and universities that use the Common App. Some of these schools are even situated outside the US. If you would like to check out the list of schools that use the application system, click here. You can choose between map view and grid view, and arrange the names from A to Z or Z to A.

On the other hand, only around 140 schools use the Coalition App. You can click here to check out the complete list alphabetically or by categories such as public schools and private schools.

While they are very popular application systems, the Common App and the Coalition App are not being used by all US schools. So, in other words, these learning institutions have their own application systems.

Let’s take a look at some of these colleges and universities:

• MIT
• Georgetown University
• Loyola University Chicago
• Brigham Young University
• United States Naval Academy
• United States Military Academy
• California State University system (CSU Bakersfield, Cal Maritime Academy, Sonoma State University, etc.)
• University of California system (UC Berkeley, UC Riverside, UC Santa Cruz, UCLA, etc.)

Which Application System Should You Use

Above, it’s not just the question “can you use both Common App and Coalition App?” that we answered but many others that are pertinent to applying to schools with as little trouble as possible.

If you are still on the fence, remember this…

Use the Common App if all the schools you are applying to use it and some don’t. On the other hand, use the Coalition App if all the schools you are applying to use it and some don’t. And if all the schools you are applying to use both application systems, use one whose interface and features you prefer better.

Of course, it’s a different story if some of the schools you are applying to have their own application systems — apart from the Common App and Coalition App, you will also have to go for what they use.