Common App Schools That Don’t Require A Supplement

Common Application Schools that DON’T Require a Supplemental Essay

You’ve heard all about the convenience of using the Common Application (CA). You’re ready to maximize your efficiency and wow admissions officers nationwide with one perfectly crafted application. It is brilliant because you didn’t have ten other application forms and essays dividing your attention. You poured all your creative juices into one dazzling personal statement. Thanks to the CA, every school gets to see the best you, not some half-baked, sleep-deprived, last minute, un-proofread you.

Not so fast. The Common Application is not quite the magic bullet you may think it is. Once you complete the universal application, you still have to round up the individual information for each school you want to apply to, and complete any supplemental forms or essays they require. And make no mistake, a majority of CA schools demand supplements. It’s 378 out of 488 schools, or 77.459 percent, to be exact.

Now you’re thinking, Okay, but what about the 100+ colleges and universities that don’t require me to do any extra work? An excellent question–as long as you’re not just looking for an easy out. If your dream school wants you to write three more essays on each of the three historical figures you would invite to dinner, do it. The next four years of your education and the entire future trajectory of your life are well worth it. However, if you can send your Common Application to a few more schools that aren’t asking for squat, do that too. While college is a huge deal, and you will apply to schools based on your goals, it may be that these schools fit your perfectly. It’s all about upping the odds, right?

The good news is there are some top-notch schools that will accept you based on the Common Application, and Common Application alone. Maybe you didn’t even consider applying to the University of San Francisco, or the American University of Paris, but you’ll give it a shot now that you know you can print off another copy of the CA, put a stamp on it, and be done. (note: That was mostly for imagery. It sounds better to stamp an application, even though we just submit it online.)

The really super good news is I’ve compiled a list of all the Common Application schools that do NOT require a supplemental essay. Use it to pick a few more safety schools, broaden your collegial horizons, and strategize your way through the college application maze.

Go wild! But be sure you still read the application requirements for each individual school thoroughly. They may not need a supplemental essay, but there could be other school specific forms you need to fill out, especially if you’re interested in athletics or the arts.

The Official List of Common Application Schools that DON’T Require a Supplemental Essay:

1. Albright College
2. Augsburg College
3. Augustana College (IL)
4. Augustana College (SD)
5. Berry College
6. Birmingham-Southern College
7. Blackburn College
8. Bradley University
9. California Lutheran University
10. Canisius College
11. Carroll College (Montana)
12. Cazenovia College
13. Cedar Crest College
14. Centenary College of Louisiana
15. Chatham University
16. Coe College
17. Colby-Sawyer College
18. College of Mount Saint Vincent
19. College of St. Joseph
20. College of the Holy Cross
21. Concordia University – Portland, OR
22. Converse College
23. Daemen College
24. Dillard University
25. Elmira College
26. Emmanuel College (Massachusetts)
27. Emory & Henry College
28. Fisk University
29. Flagler College
30. Florida Southern College
31. Fontbonne University
32. Franklin Pierce University
33. Hamline University (MN)
34. Hampden-Sydney College
35. Hanover College
36. Hollins University
37. Hood College
38. Hult International Business School
39. Illinois College
40. Keele University
41. Keuka College
42. King’s College
43. La Salle University
44. Lawrence Technological University
45. Lincoln University of Pennsylvania
46. Loyola University New Orleans
47. Lycoming College
48. Manchester University
49. Marietta College
50. McDaniel College
51. Menlo College
52. Mercer University
53. Meredith College
54. Millsaps College
55. Molloy College
56. Morehouse College
57. New England College
58. Newbury College
59. Northland College
60. Notre Dame de Namur University
61. Notre Dame of Maryland University
62. Oglethorpe University
63. Ohio Wesleyan University
64. Randolph College
65. Randolph-Macon College
66. Regis University (Colorado)
67. Ripon College
68. Rosemont College
69. Saint Leo University
70. Saint Martin’s University
71. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
72. Saint Peter’s University
73. Saint Vincent College
74. Simpson College
75. Southwestern University
76. Spring Hill College
77. St. Catherine University
78. St. Joseph’s College – Brooklyn Campus
79. St. Joseph’s College – Long Island Campus
80. St. Norbert College
81. Stephens College
82. Stevens Institute of Technology
83. Tennessee Wesleyan College
84. The American University of Paris
85. The Catholic University of America
86. The College of Idaho
87. Trinity College (Connecticut)
88. Trinity University (San Antonio)
89. University of Dayton
90. University of Denver
91. University of Findlay
92. University of Great Falls
93. University of La Verne
94. University of Maine at Machias
95. University of Portland
96. University of San Francisco
97. University of Tampa
98. University of Tulsa
99. Virginia Intermont College
100. Wartburg College
101. Washington & Jefferson College
102. Washington College (Maryland)
103. Wells College
104. Westminster College (Pennsylvania)
105. Westminster College (Utah)
106. William Jewell College
107. Wilson College
108. Woodbury University
109. Xavier University of Louisiana