As a member of the class of 2026 and a rising senior, I am about to start the college admissions process. I understand how exciting yet overwhelming this time can feel. To ease some of that worry, if you are a rising senior or someone interested in learning more, here are some changes to the application process this year.

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Standardized Tests

The SAT has finished its first full year of digital testing with its new format. The old test had four sections: reading, English, math with a calculator, and math without a calculator. The latest test is much shorter with two EBRW (English-based reading and writing) modules and two math modules, each with 22-27 questions. Additionally, the test is adaptive, meaning it gets harder the better you do.

The ACT is currently undergoing a transition. Once, a very time-dependent paper test, the new ACT will move to an enhanced version. This latest version(with paper and online testing options) makes the science section optional, not contributing to your composite score. Additionally, the new format allows more time to answer each question, something many students have complained about.

Since 2020, when the COVID pandemic broke out and testing sites became hard to find, many schools implemented a test-optional system, in which students do not have to submit an SAT/ACT as part of their application. Five years later, many schools are still test-optional, but some top universities are starting to make them required again.

Some test-required schools for the upcoming year are: MIT, Harvard, Brown University, Dartmouth College, and more. It is also important to note that the California public schools (UCs and CSUs) are completely test blind, meaning they don’t factor any of these tests into their admissions decisions.

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Common App

The Common Application (Common App) is an online platform that millions use to apply to colleges and universities. Over 900 institutions use it, making it the most used application platform.

The parts of the Common App that students fill out are Profile, Family, Education, Testing, Activities, Writing, and Course & Grades. However, a few of the sections will undergo minor changes this year.

First, the community disruption sections that students fill out to explain any gaps/holes in their application due to disruption will be changed to the challenges and circumstances section. This section was initially introduced during the pandemic to explain the challenges students were facing due to it. Now, it will allow them to share a broader range of perspectives and include other issues that might not have fit under community disruption.

The Common App also announced reducing the Additional Information section from 650 to 300 words. This is because students were using it to add extra non-related information to their applications, which was not properly fulfilling the sections purpose.

Schools Policy

Some very popular institutions have introduced new application processes and ways of admission. Students can typically apply to schools through Early Action (EA), Early Decision (ED), or Regular Decision (RD).

Regular decision is the most common way of applying. These decisions typically come out in March/April. Early action is similar to regular decision, except decisions come out earlier in January.

At most colleges, there is a slight advantage to early action over regular decision. On the other hand, an early decision application typically provides a much more significant boost. However, this is a binding application, and so if you receive an offer, you must attend the school unless you demonstrate a specific circumstance that would prevent your attendance.

For the first time this year, the University of Southern California (USC) will introduce an early decision application for its Marshall School of Business. The University of Michigan is also introducing a new early decision system for all its schools. This is a change from their previous system, in which they only offered non-binding early action and regular decision applications.

Many people apply early decision to a particular school if they are 100 percent sure it is the right place for them. So, if anyone likes USC or U Mich, consider this option.

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This Year’s Advantage

Many experts predict this year to be the most rewarding application season yet for students. This is for a couple of reasons. First, the number of international applicants is expected to be lower because of the recent government changes in funding and policy.

With fewer international applications, more spots could be available for domestic students. Also, there was a birth spike for last year’s pool, so this year should have fewer people applying and more spots. Lastly, since more schools are starting to require standardized tests, fewer people may apply to them with the fear that their test scores don’t suffice, a trend seen in some colleges that have reimplemented the necessary testing.

Those are just some of the known changes to this year’s application process. Good luck to the class of 2026! I hope everything works out.

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