<p>My girlfriend is working on her Common App. Unfortunately, her mother passed away last year. Despite asking several relatives, she's had no success in finding some of the information required for the CA about her mother. Does anyone have any experience with this? What can be done?</p>
<p>ETA; She's a transfer student so this isn't any last-minute emergency--her deadlines are pretty far off.</p>
<p>If you list a parent as deceased you will be required to provide their deceased date, name, and college degrees (if any). Colleges to which you are applying use this information to determine if you are a first generation college student.</p>
<p>If your girlfriend does not know if her mother attended college or earned any degrees, she can choose to list her mother as ‘Unknown’ in the Parent Type field. Specifying her mother as ‘Unknown’ will mean that the Common App Online will not require any additional information about her mother. She should, however, provide as much as she knows. If she feels it is appropriate or necessary she can always explain the situation in the additional information section of the application.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>