How Does the Common App Share Your Information With Colleges?
By Admissions Narrative · · MIT Alumni Admissions Interviewer
Key Takeaways
When you submit your Common App to a school, that school receives your complete application data
Schools you add but don't submit to cannot see your application
FERPA protections apply to enrolled students' records — not during the pre-enrollment application process
Your list of schools in your Common App dashboard is visible only to you
Demonstrated interest tracking happens through school-specific portals, separate from Common App
When you submit your Common App to a school, that college receives your complete application — all personal information, essays, and submitted test scores. Schools you add to your list but don't submit to cannot see your application. FERPA protections apply to enrolled students; during the application process, your information is subject to each school's privacy policy and Common App's privacy policy.
Understanding how Common App shares your information helps you make informed decisions about what to include and when.
What Schools Receive When You Submit
When you submit to a college, that school receives your complete application package: all personal information, academic history, activities list, personal statement, school-specific supplements, submitted test scores, and fee payment confirmation. Recommendation letters are routed through Common App's system when recommenders submit them.
Schools You Haven't Submitted To
Schools you've added to your Common App dashboard but haven't submitted to cannot see your application. Adding a school to your list does not share your application data with that school.
Demonstrated Interest Tracking Is Separate
When you create an account on a school's own admissions portal (to register for a campus visit or info session), that school's CRM system records your engagement. This is separate from Common App — it is the demonstrated interest tracking system that records visits, email opens, and event attendance.
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Can colleges see which other schools you applied to?
No — colleges cannot see your other applications or which schools you've added to your Common App list. Your list is private to you. Schools only see information you explicitly submitted to them through your application.