Penn State Joins the Common Application for 2018-19 Admissions Season

Between filling out countless forms that your future depends on and keeping track of every school’s process, applying to college can be a challenge. But Penn State is making it a little easier by joining the Common Application starting with the 2018-2019 application season for the Class of 2023.

If you’re a few years removed from the application process, or were lucky enough to block that part of high school out of your mind, the Common App is just what it sounds like: a common college application used by more than 750 colleges and universities. (The system only allows a student to apply to up to 20 schools, though.)

The Common App won’t replace the MyPennState application. It will be another option for students — one that’s convenient for those already applying to other schools through the application.

“We have been discussing the Common Application for several years, but needed to be confident that they could handle the myriad opportunities that future students have at Penn State,” Clark V. Brigger, executive director of undergraduate admissions, said in a release.

“With 20 undergraduate campuses in Pennsylvania, plus our World Campus and considering the variety of more than 277 academic programs available to students at Penn State, we needed to be certain that future students could select from our vast array of opportunities.”

The MyPennState application opens Aug. 1, along with the Coalition Application that Penn State also offers as an option for prospective students who would enroll in summer or fall 2019. The Common App will open in September.