Hello
I’m an International student and I want to apply to more colleges and common app’s searching criteria let’s me to search for colleges without application fee which is a gift.
I want to make another account but I’m have second thoughts about it because I’m scared if common app would figure out and ban me.
Please help should I do it?
Why do you need two accounts? So you can apply to more than 20 colleges? If you think you’re going to bypass their rules, I suspect you will be in for a rude and inconvenient awakening when you find you have to apply to 20 colleges using their own individual applications. No one needs to apply to that many schools.
I know people who’ve made multiple common app accounts to apply to more schools. They had no repercussions- I didn’t even know it was against the rules tbh. They also had a coalition account to get even more. My D only planned to apply to 10 schools, so I don’t have direct experience, but I know a lot of kids apply to more than 20 schools these days.
Common app does prohibit a second account for first-years. https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/article/How-can-I-create-more-than-one-First-Year-or-Transfer-account
OP, I know international students may need to apply to a larger number of schools, but 20 is a lot. If you must, perhaps open a coalition app or apply to the schools directly.
Are they applying to more than 20 schools with common app? UCs for instance have their own app. There are plenty of colleges not on Common App. Surely the App would be alerted that a new account is using identical information to another account. As far as lots of people applying to more than 20 colleges, they have more money than sense.
@milgymfam and @Hannahmskh , I just copied this from Common App’s facebook page. I can’t link facebook here, but it’s easy enough to find:
APPLICANTS: Do not try to trick the system into letting you create two accounts. If you succeed, you have no idea of the potential mess that awaits you: confused colleges, confused counselors and teachers, mismatched records, incomplete applications…and that’s just the beginning. For your own good, please don’t go down this road.