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The Common Application is set to launch today with a slate of changes, some of which are meant to help its 1,000 member institutions adapt to a changing admissions landscape.
In May the company announced that it would allow colleges and universities to hide an applicant’s race, a change made in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action. Emma Steele, the Common App’s director of media and external affairs, told Inside Higher Ed via email that the company would continue to collect and analyze data on applicants’ race regardless.
This year’s Common App will also include a new gender identity option for applicants, who can now select “X” in addition to “male” or “female,” Steele said, building on new gender-inclusive policies introduced last year.
While Steele said the Common App essay prompts will not change from last year, many institutions are considering or implementing changes to their application questions in light of the Supreme Court’s June 29 decision banning affirmative action in admissions.
Steele said the platform also added 50 new members this year, including 15 minority-serving institutions.
