Final report

The Final report is a mandatory form for all Common App applications. It should only be submitted after the student has received all admission decisions. Any changes made since completing and sending the school report should be included, such as updated transcripts. This form can be edited before being sent.

Parts of the form are auto-populated based on the school data entered by the first counselor to complete the School report form. These fields can still be edited but the changes will apply to every other School report, including for other students. Auto-populated data includes how the school is ranked and how the GPA is reported.

Counselors submit the Final report to either: 

• The college where the student was accepted and intends to enroll.
• The college where the student intends to enroll if admitted from the waitlist.

Once the Final report has been sent, the Counselor recommendation, Mid-year report, and Optional report are no longer available to submit. Ensure all forms and admission decisions are final before sending the Final report.

Mid-year report

The Mid-year report may or may not be required, depending on the college's admission requirements. The Mid-year report includes mid-year transcripts and should be sent after final grades for first semester or trimester are available. This form can be edited before being sent.

Parts of the form are auto-populated based on the school data entered by the first counselor to complete the School report form. These fields can still be edited but the changes will apply to every other School report, including for other students. Auto-populated data includes how the school is ranked and how the GPA is reported.

While the Mid-year report can't be edited once sent, an Optional report can be used to submit updated grades and transcripts, or make corrections. See Optional report below for more information.

Optional report

The Optional report is a common but not mandatory form. It's available to correct any errors in previously submitted forms, or to send updated grades and transcripts. However, it is not a substitute for the Mid-year or Final report. An Optional report can be used at any point in the academic year. This form can be edited before being sent.

Changes you can make include: 

• Updated transcript or predicted grades
• Class rank
• Student GPA
• Change in student's enrolled courses
• Change to the counselor evaluation

Counselor recommendation

The Counselor recommendation may or may not be required, and is dependent on the college's admission requirements. You can still choose to submit a Counselor recommendation for a student even if it's not required by the institution.

The Counselor recommendation is sent once per student. Your responses in this form will be shared with all of the colleges to which the student is applying. For this reason, ensure your answers are inclusive to each institution.

Included in this form is space to explain how long you've known the student, how you'd describe them, and how you'd differentiate the student from others. This form can be edited before being sent.

While the Counselor recommendation can't be edited once sent, an Optional report can be used to submit updated grades and transcripts, or make corrections. See Optional report above for more information.

Teacher evaluation

The Teacher evaluation may or may not be required based on the college's admission requirements. Depending on the max requirements, students can request multiple teachers complete an evaluation on their behalf. To learn how students make requests, check out How students request teacher evaluations.

A teacher profile must be completed prior to filling out and sending the evaluation. For a reminder, check out Set up a teacher profile for Common App.

Fields you must complete in the Teacher evaluation include your subject area; how you'd rank the student in areas such as academic achievement, disciplined habits, or leadership; and a written evaluation describing what you think is important to know about the student.

The Teacher evaluation is sent once per student. The responses in the form will be shared to all of the colleges to which the student is applying. For this reason, answers should be inclusive to each institution.

Fee waiver

The Fee waiver is required if it is requested by the student. Once a student has indicated in their Common App account that they qualify for a Common App fee waiver, the form shows in your list of forms to complete.

The Fee waiver form includes a question that asks you to select which economic needs the student meets.

Early decision agreement

The Early decision agreement is required if the student has indicated they're applying for early decision. This form is initiated by the student in their Common App account when they select their admission plan. They and their parent/guardian are required to sign a binding agreement. The counselor will sign a similar form from their account in Xello. Once the counselor sends the Early decision agreement, the college will receive both counselor and parent/guardian signature.

Additional resources