2026 Application Season: Five Fault Lines
Record totals mask growing divides in who's applying, and where
March 7, 2026
Through February 1, 2026, more students have applied to college via Common App than ever before — 1.4 million applicants sending 9.2 million applications across 913 institutions. The headline number suggests a boom. But beneath it, the 2025-2026 cycle reveals five sharp fault lines: who is surging, who is retreating, where test scores stand, and why the nation's most selective schools are growing the slowest of all.
1 — The Record Numbers
Application volume hit a new high, and students are casting wider nets.
First-Year Applicants
1,401,214
+2% vs 2024-25
Distinct students submitting at least one application
Total Applications
9,188,630
+5% vs 2024-25
Across 913 returning member institutions
Apps per Applicant
6.56
+3% vs 2024-25
Students are applying to more schools on average
2 — Growing Apart
Not all students are applying at the same rate. Low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented applicants are outpacing their peers by a wide margin — while continuing-generation and higher-income applicants are essentially flat.
Application Growth by Group, 2024-25 → 2025-26
% change in applicants vs the same point in the prior season
Source: Common App Deadline Update, 2025-2026, through February 1. URM = underrepresented minority (Black/AA, Latinx, American Indian/AK Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander).
3 — The International Cliff
International applicants fell 9% from last season — a sharp reversal after years of growth. Asia and Africa drove the decline, while the Americas bucked the trend. The drops in individual countries are even more striking.
International Applicants by Region
% change vs same point in 2024-25 season
Source: Common App Deadline Update, 2025-2026, through February 1.
Country-Level Standouts
% change in applicants vs 2024-25 — top gains and notable declines
Source: Common App Deadline Update, 2025-2026, through February 1.
4 — Test Scores Come Back
After the COVID-era collapse — when the share of schools requiring scores fell from 55% to just 4% — score submission is rebounding sharply. Reporters are up 11%; non-reporters are down 5%; reporters now outnumber non-reporters early in the season for the first time in years. The equity gap remains: first-gen, URM, and low-income students are still less likely to submit a score.
Score Reporters vs Non-Reporters
% change in applicants by test score reporting behavior, 2024-25 → 2025-26
% of Common App Members Requiring Test Scores
The test-optional wave — from majority to near-zero in five years
Only 2019-20 and 2023-24 through 2025-26 are explicitly reported in the source document. Source: Common App Deadline Update, 2025-2026; Common App research reports.
Groups less likely to submit a test score:
- First-generation applicants
- URM applicants
- Fee-waiver-eligible applicants
- Students from below-median income ZIP codes
All groups saw score reporters grow faster than non-reporters — but the gap persists. Source: Common App Deadline Update, 2025-2026.
5 — The Most Selective Schools Grow Slowest
Every selectivity tier grew — but the most selective schools (admit rates below 25%, which includes every school on this site) saw only +3% application growth, less than half the rate of every other tier. The decline in international applicants likely plays a role: international students disproportionately target elite institutions, and they fell 19% at the most selective schools specifically.
Application Growth by Institutional Selectivity
% change in applications by member admit rate band, 2024-25 → 2025-26
"Most Selective" = member admit rates below 25%, which includes all schools tracked on this site. Source: Common App Deadline Update, 2025-2026, through February 1.
Key Takeaways
- 9,188,630 total applications submitted through Feb 1 — up 5% from 2024-25; apps per applicant rose from 6.37 to 6.56
- Black/African American applicants grew the fastest (+9%); first-generation and Two or More Races each grew +7%
- Below-median income ZIP codes drove growth at +8% — four times the rate of above-median income ZIPs (+2%)
- International applicants fell 9% overall; India down 14%, Ghana down 34%, Africa as a whole down 16%
- Venezuela (+136%) and Honduras (+54%) were the top-gaining countries; Americas region up +3%
- Score reporters grew +11% while non-reporters declined 5% — reporters now outnumber non-reporters early in the season
- Most selective schools (admit rate < 25%) saw only +3% application growth; all other selectivity bands grew 6–7%
- 63.5% of member institutions saw stable or growing application volume; 36.5% saw a decline
Source: Common App “Deadline Update, 2025-2026: First-year application trends through February 1,” published February 12, 2026. Data reflects 913 returning member institutions.