Common Black College Application

The Common Black College Application is now available for your students. Here are some commonly asked questions about it:

Although you will be asked to list your top four college choices when completing the Common Black College Application, your application is made available to all 58 Member Institutions.

Q. How do I submit my Common Black College Application?

A. Click on APPLY NOW on any of our webpages to begin the application process.

Q. What is the difference between a Log In and Registration?

A. You have to register first to create an account. Once you have created an account, you will Log In anytime you want to track the progress of your application including seeing what Member Institutions have downloaded, printed or viewed your application.

Q. What is the difference between downloaded, printed and viewed my application?

A. Downloaded – A Member Institution has uploaded your application from our database to their system automatically.

Printed – A Member Institution has printed your application, transcript or test scores.

Viewed – A Member Institution has opened and looked at your application, transcript or test scores.

Q. Can I make changes to my application?

A. You can not make changes to your application once it has been submitted.

Q. How much is it to complete the Common Black College Application?

A. It is $20 to complete the Common Black College Application.

Q. Why am I asked to select my top four colleges?

A. Although you are asked to select your top four colleges, your application is made available  to all of the Member Institutions.

Q. How will the Member Institutions receive my application?

A. The Member Institutions log into our database to download, print and view your application, transcript and test scores.  (We suggest you contact all of the Member Institutions you are interested in attending).

Q.Why do I have to contact the Member Institutions I am interested in attending?

A. Although you do not have to complete another application or pay another application fee, some of the Member Institutions will only process your application if you select them as one of their top four choices.

If you did not select one of the Member Institutions as one of your top four choices,  we encourage you to contact them via our Direct Messaging, by phone, email or letter to let them know you are interested in attending their college.

Q. Who do I ask for when I contact the Member Institutions to ensure my application is processed?

A. Please ask for the person who works with the Common Black College Applications. If you have any concerns, please ask for the person’s name and we will contact the college on your behalf.

Q. Will I have to complete another application or pay an application fee to the Member Institutions?

A. You will not be asked to pay another application fee or have to complete another application.
(Some of the Member Institutions may ask you to provide additional information to complete the application process).

Q. Can the $20 application be waived?

A. The $20 application can not be waived.

Q. Is the $20 application fee refundable?

A. The $20 application fee is nonrefundable.

Q. What forms of payment can be used to pay the application fee?

A. You can make the payment with PayPal using a major debit or credit card. You do not need a PayPal Account to make the payment.

Q. Can I pay with a check or money order?

A. You can pay by money order. Please address the payment to:

EDU, Inc. Common Black College Application
2625 Piedmont Road
Suite 56315
Atlanta, GA 30324

Q. How do I send the Member Institutions my transcript, test scores, recommendations and essay?

A. When you complete your application, you can provide your School Counselor’s name and email address. An email will then be sent instructing your Counselor on how to create an account to upload an Official Copy of your transcripts and test scores.

Please note, if you do not enter the high school CEEB code, your will Counselor will not be able to upload your documents.

Q. Can I upload my transcript and test scores?

A. Yes you can upload an unofficial copy of your transcript and test scores to our system. (Please allow 10 business days for the Member Institutions to receive your documents).  As we suggested earlier, you can track the progress of your application by logging into our system using your email address and password.

Q. What happens if I forget my password?

A. You can request a password reset here.

Q. How do I send my recommendations and essay to the Member Institutions?

A. Most of our Member Institutions do not require an essay or recommendations to complete the application process. We suggest you contact the colleges you are most interested in attending to inquire.

Q. How long will it take for me to start to hear from the Member Institutions?

A. Every Member Institution has the ability to access your application, transcript and test scores immediately after they have been submitted. Due to the number of applications the Member Institutions receive daily, we suggest you wait 15 business days before contacting the college. We encourage you to log into our system to track the receipt and processing of your application.

Q. I completed the Common Black College Application and I have been asked by a Member Institution to complete another application or pay another application fee. What should I do?

A. Please contact the college and let them know you completed the Common Black College Application.

Q. Can this application be used to apply to graduate school?

A. The CBCA can not be used to apply to graduate school.

Q. Can I use this application as a transfer student?

A. Yes you can use this application to transfer to one of our Member Institutions. (Please note, you must send an Official Transcript to all of the Member Institutions you are interested in attending).

Please contact us at contact@commonblackcollegeapp.com if you have further questions.

If you would like to set up a Counselors account so you can input the information for any interested students here is the link: https://commonblackcollegeapp.com/portal/register/high-school-counselor

Here are the list of the 58 schools which accept the Common Black Application:

ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY
ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY
ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY
ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY
ARKANSAS BAPTIST COLLEGE
BENEDICT COLLEGE
BENNETT COLLEGE
BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY
BLUEFIELD STATE COLLEGE
CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY
CHARLES R. DREW UNIV. OF MED. & SCI.
CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY
CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
CLINTON COLLEGE
COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY

DILLARD UNIVERSITY
EDWARD WATERS COLLEGE
ELIZABETH CITY STATE UNIVERSITY
FLORIDA MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY
FORT VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY
HARRIS-STOWE STATE UNIVERSITY
HUSTON-TILLOTSON UNIVERSITY
JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY
JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY
KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY (MO)
LANE COLLEGE
LIVINGSTONE COLLEGE
LeMOYNE OWEN COLLEGE

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
MILES COLLEGE
MORRIS COLLEGE
MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY
PAINE COLLEGE
PAUL QUINN COLLEGE
PHILANDER SMITH COLLEGE
RUST COLLEGE
SAINT AUGUSTINE’S UNIVERSITY
SHAW UNIVERSITY
SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
SOUTHERN UNIV. AND A&M COLL.
SOUTHERN UNIV. (NEW ORLEANS)

STILLMAN COLLEGE
TALLADEGA COLLEGE
TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
TOUGALOO COLLEGE
TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
UNIV. OF ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF
UNIV. OF MD. EASTERN SHORE
UNIV. OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY
VOORHEES COLLEGE
WEST VA. STATE UNIVERSITY
WILBERFORCE UNIVERSITY
WILEY COLLEGE

Don’t Make These Application Mistakes

November 1, an important college application deadline, is almost upon us and the stress in many homes with high school seniors is almost palpable.

Here are some tips to make the last part of the application process run a little more smoothly:

1. Don’t procrastinate. November 1 is the most common deadline for colleges and universities that offer Early Decision (binding) and Early Action (non-binding) admissions programs. Procrastinators need to be aware that in the last few days before the deadline many college computer servers will be on overload and have been known to shut down entirely. This could mean  that if you wait until the last minute to submit your application that it won’t get in on time. I have heard ridiculous statistics that range from 60-80 percent of students wait until the last two days to file their applications. Think about what that means when you’re a college or university with a large applicant pool, such as UCLA which receives over 110,000 applications. That is not a typo. According to the “2021 Princeton Review, The Best 386 Colleges,” UCLA received 111,322 applications. If that server doesn’t go down, you know it’s going to be running slowly.

You should also note that colleges are aware of the date and time you file your application; so some may construe your procrastination as being either              lazy or disinterested.

2. Don’t be generic. Use your essays to set yourself apart from the masses. Don’t tell the college admissions office what you think they want to hear (how prestigious their school is, how beautiful the campus is, etc.) demonstrate that you’ve done your homework and share why each college is a good fit for you academically and socially. You should specifically address the courses are you looking forward to taking and how you see yourself getting involved in campus life (clubs, activities, etc.).

3. Don’t rush at the end. Oftentimes students are so eager to hit “submit” that they fail to proof their essays and the activities sufficiently. Submitting an activity list that says you are a “Candy Stripper” instead of a “Candy Striper” may cause some good-natured teasing at one college, but the failure to proofread may doom your application at another school. Since you don’t know exactly who is reading your application, you just don’t know how they’ll react.

4. Don’t be a stealth applicant. Colleges are engaged in social media. If you are interested in a college or university, you should let them know; “like” their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter and Instagram. Make sure you let them know if you visit their campus, if an admissions representative comes to your school or if you meet them at a college fair. It’s also important to note that some colleges are looking at students’ social media pages as well, so clean them up.

Lee Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte.

Send questions to: lee@collegeadmissionsstrategies.com; www.collegeadmissionsstrategies.com

3 Significant College Application Mistakes Your Students Are Probably Making

High school seniors have a lot on their plate. Striving to do well in school, getting competitive scores on standardized tests, juggling extracurricular activities, and figuring out what college they want to attend (and how they’ll fund it) are just some of the challenges they’re facing. 

Although most students spend a significant amount of time crafting their college essays and trying to make their applications as mature, unique, and well-rounded as possible, there are a few common mistakes that can unintentionally sabotage the chance that an application will be seriously considered. 

Here are three of the most damaging mistakes that students frequently make on their college applications and how they can be avoided.

Put away that thesaurus: write your essays in your own words

One of the most frequent errors that college applicants make is feeling insecure about their writing ability and overusing a thesaurus to sound more “intelligent.” Although a thesaurus can be a beneficial tool for finding words that convey a precise meaning (and avoiding repetitive adjectives like “good”), it should be used in moderation. 

Students often make the mistake of trying too hard to make their writing sound overly impressive. This can obscure their meaning, and it’s certainly not going to overawe the admissions officers. Considering that they read thousands of essays every year, admissions officers will immediately notice when a student’s writing sounds stilted and unnatural. This is also an issue that comes up frequently on scholarship essays. 

Word choice makes a big difference in how an essay comes across, and college admissions officers and scholarship panel members want to feel like they are really getting to know the applicant. This means writing in one’s own, genuine voice, rather than selecting complicated, academic-sounding words from the thesaurus that sometimes don’t fit the context. 

Make sure to proofread carefully

This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s another common issue that can cause admissions officers to make quick, and perhaps unfair, judgments about an application. Often, by the time students finish all of their applications and additional essays, they are tired and frustrated and just want to click that “Submit” button. However, taking the time to read over the entire application before submitting it is incredibly important. Ensuring that an application is professional-looking is essential if a student wants to demonstrate why he or she is worthy of the admissions panel’s consideration. 

Students should always leave themselves enough time to proofread the entire application before submitting it – ideally when they are well-rested and can look at it with fresh eyes. It’s also a good idea for them to ask a parent or older sibling to read it over, as well. 

Relying on a computer spell-check program is not a dependable way to proofread. Some errors won’t get picked up, and you run the risk of accidentally changing words. Although the quality of your spelling and grammar shouldn’t be the overriding factor that determines whether or not you receive an acceptance letter, the truth is that misspellings and grammatical errors can leave a negative impression in the admissions officer’s mind. Likewise, accidentally referring to the college by the wrong name or clearly reusing sections of an old essay that doesn’t match the prompt are significant errors that are likely to land your application in the “No” pile. 

Don’t be afraid to talk about achievements, adversity, and support 

A college application is all about making the applicant look as interesting and appealing as possible. However, many students find it challenging to write about themselves. They may not have done much reflective writing in the past. As a result, college applications can sometimes become overly self-indulgent. Alternatively, if a student is reluctant to talk about his or her personal struggles, the application may end up glossing over the applicant’s most significant achievements, such as overcoming adversity. 

Getting over the embarrassment of writing about yourself and being able to discuss one’s own interests and goals is crucial for pretty much every part of the college application. Students should aim to reflect on their experiences and aspirations thoughtfully and reflectively. This often means discussing some of their proudest or most difficult moments. 

It can be a tricky balance to write about yourself without “tooting your own horn” too much – or too little. Students need to recognize the individuals, institutions, and circumstances that have helped them get to where they are and achieve what they have already achieved. Likewise, students shouldn’t be afraid to mention difficulty or even failure. These are the kinds of experiences that can help them grow and mature – and that demonstrate their strength of character to the admissions officers.