Deadline updates, 2023–2024: First-year application trends through December 1

By December 1, 2023, over 1 million students had applied to colleges using the Common App. That was about 8% more applicants compared to the previous year. They submitted approximately 12% more applications than they did last year. On average, each student also applied to a few more schools.

Some background on the students who applied:

• Students who were the first in their families to attend college grew by 8%.
• Applicants from low-income ZIP codes increased by 14%, compared to a 5% rise from higher-income ZIP areas.
• Students who qualified for a fee waiver increased by 18%. This was more than four times the growth of those who didn’t qualify (4%).

In short, the data through December 1, 2023, suggest that not only are more students applying through the Common App, but many of those additional applicants are from traditionally underrepresented or low-income backgrounds. This reflects a modest but meaningful shift toward greater access and equity in college application behavior.