On Aug. 1, the Common Application will refresh for the 2025-26 college application cycle. This year’s reset will include modifications to various optional sections and prompts, expanding to community colleges and integration with Scoir, a network used by TESD for the postsecondary planning process. The organization says it is continually evolving the application process to make it more equitable and accessible for students.
The Common Application will replace the current Community Disruption prompt with a Challenges and Circumstances prompt, giving students the opportunity to describe a wider range of challenges. The essay, previously used during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow space for students to share COVID-related disruptions, will now emphasize relevant information, such as unique circumstances that may have impacted a student’s experience.
“If you’re comfortable sharing, this information can help colleges better understand the context of your application,” the updated prompt states. “Colleges may use this information to provide you and your fellow students with support and resources.”
The Additional Information section’s word count will decrease from 650 to 300 words for first-year applicants and from 3,500 to 1,500 characters for transfer applicants. Danielle Sculley-Ellett teaches the College and Career Transition (CCT) course at Conestoga, which covers college application components and career readiness skills. She feels that the updated prompt will allow students to present their experiences in a more nuanced way.
“Now that we are past the pandemic, Challenges and Circumstances is more appropriate because it allows students to share serious circumstances impacting them, allowing for more context in the application,” Sculley-Ellett said.
The standard seven essay prompts will not change to maintain consistency and ease student adaptation to other changes. Sculley-Ellett does not feel that it is necessary to change the CCT curriculum, as it already aligns with the updates made to the other optional prompts.
“I see the changes as more of an enhancement,” Sculley-Ellett said. “Students will not have to change their approach to the Common App.”
The Common Application stated on its website that it made these changes through gathering diverse perspectives and input by consulting with its member, counselor and student advisory committees. Sculley-Ellett believes that the restructuring of the Community Disruption prompt will broaden students’ voices and let them describe their challenges more extensively.
“The changes are in spirit of streamlining and making the Common App more user-friendly,” Sculley-Ellett said. “I think that is a great idea for our students.”
Divit Gupta can be reached at [email protected].
