When the Common App opens and closes
It opens August 1. After that every deadline belongs to the college, not to the Common App — and one of the four rounds is a binding commitment people agree to without reading.
LIVE CLASSES MON · WED · FRI · 5–7 PM (GMT-5) · RECORDED · ONLINE WORLDWIDE
When does the Common App open?
August 1, every year, for the following admission cycle. Your account persists between years, so anything entered before that date carries over — you can create the account and fill in your profile early without waiting.
What changes on August 1 is that the current year's colleges, supplemental questions and deadlines become available.
The four rounds
| Round | Typical deadline | Decision arrives | Commitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision | Around November 1 | Mid-December | Binding — you must enrol and withdraw other applications |
| Early Action | Around November 1 | Mid-December to January | Non-binding — you decide by May 1 |
| Regular Decision | Around January 1 | March to April | Non-binding — you decide by May 1 |
| Rolling | No fixed date | A few weeks after applying | Non-binding — apply early, places fill |
Dates are typical, not universal. Every college sets its own and they move. Confirm each one on the college's admissions page.
Deadlines are in the college's time zone — sort of
Most deadlines fall at 11:59 pm local time on the stated date, and the relevant local time is usually the applicant's, but this is set per college and is worth checking rather than assuming.
The stronger advice is simply not to be near the boundary. Submitting on the final evening is a well-known way to meet an overloaded server, a payment that will not process, or a counselor who has gone to bed without submitting your school report.
What has to arrive besides your part
Your submission is only one component. The others come from other people, which means they run on other people's schedules:
- School report and transcript, submitted by your counselor.
- Teacher recommendations, usually one or two, submitted directly by the teachers.
- Mid-year report, sent after first-semester grades close.
- Test scores, where required, sent from your College Board account — see the SAT guide.
Ask for recommendations weeks ahead, not days. Teachers write many of these each season, and the ones requested last are rarely the strongest.
A workable timeline
- Spring before your final year: build your college list, sit the SAT once so there is time for a second attempt.
- Summer: draft the essay while you have time. Request recommendations before term ends.
- August: the application opens — transfer everything in, start the supplements.
- September–October: finish supplements, confirm your counselor has what they need, retake the SAT if useful.
- Late October: submit early-round applications, ahead of the deadline rather than on it.
- December: finish regular-round applications before the holidays, not during them.
Deadline questions
When does the Common App open?
August 1 each year, for the following admission cycle. Your account carries over between years, so you can create it and complete your profile before that date — what opens on August 1 is the current year's colleges, supplements and deadlines.
When is the Common App due?
There is no single Common App deadline; each college sets its own. Early Decision and Early Action typically fall around November 1 and Regular Decision around January 1, but these vary and change, so confirm every date on the college's own admissions page.
What is the difference between Early Decision and Early Action?
Early Decision is binding: if you are admitted you must enrol and withdraw your other applications. Early Action is not binding — you hear earlier but can still compare offers until May 1. Only apply Early Decision to a clear first choice.
When does the Common App close?
It closes per college, on that college's final deadline, which for most is the Regular Decision date around January 1. Colleges with rolling admission accept applications until their places fill, which can be much later — or much earlier in practice.
What time are Common App deadlines?
Usually 11:59 pm on the stated date, most often in the applicant's local time, though it is set per college and worth verifying. In practice, submit days early: last-evening submissions run into payment failures, server load and counselors who have not yet uploaded your school report.
Start by finding out how many points you need.
The demo account is free and includes a 10-question diagnostic in the real exam format. An advisor sets it up the same day.
LIVE CLASSES MON · WED · FRI · 5–7 PM (GMT-5) · RECORDED · ONLINE WORLDWIDE