Cookie notice
Cookie notice
Last updated – September 29, 2026
This Cookie Notice explains how Common App® (“Common App” “we” or “us”) uses cookies and similar technologies in connection with our Website: https://www.commonapp.org/or associated Websites, apply.commonapp.org, and recommend.commonapp.org or pages (the “Website”), and the purposes for using them.
For more information about how we collect, use, and share your personal data, see our Privacy Notice at https://www.commonapp.org/privacy-policy.
Our Website uses cookies, in combination with other tracking technologies (collectively, “cookies” unless otherwise noted) to distinguish you from other users of the Website.
1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small data files that contain a unique identifier and are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit the Website. Cookies and similar technologies (which include pixels, tags, web beacons and software development kits (“SDKs”), and local browser storage technologies) (together “cookies”) enable operators of Websites/apps to recognize your device and collect information from it when you interact with them. They use this information to understand how the Website is used, to let you navigate between pages efficiently, to remember your preferences, and to generally improve your browsing experience. Cookies are also used to make the advertising you see online more relevant to your interests.
Our Website uses both session cookies (which expire once you close your web browser) and persistent cookies (which stay on your computer or mobile device until you delete them).
2. What is a mobile advertising identifier?
Most major phones and tablets include a mobile advertising identifier (e.g., an IDFA on iOS and an ADID on Android), a unique device identifier that enables third parties to connect your activities in one app or website to those in another. This is generally used for personalizing advertising and measuring advertising campaigns. Even without a mobile advertising identifier, you would still see advertising, but those ads may be less relevant to you.
3. Who places cookies on your device?
When you visit our Website, both first-party cookies and third-party cookies may be placed on your device:
- First-party cookies, served directly by us to your computer or mobile device, which we use to recognize your computer or mobile device when it revisits our Website; and
- Third-party cookies, which are served by service providers or business partners on our Website, can be used by these parties to recognize your computer or mobile device when it visits other Websites. These third-party providers may include advertising and analytics partners such as Google, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube, which may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to deliver ads, measure performance, and build audiences across websites and platforms. Third-party cookies can be used for a variety of purposes, including Website analytics, advertising, and social media features. We do not control how these third parties use your information, which is subject to their own privacy policies.
4. What types of cookies and similar tracking technologies are used on the Website and why?
The cookies used on our Site are categorized as follows:
‘Strictly Necessary’ cookies let you move around the Website and use essential features like secure areas. Without these cookies, we cannot provide the requested services. We use these Strictly Necessary cookies to:
- Identify you as being logged in to the Website and to authenticate you
- Make sure you connect to the right service on the Website when we make any changes to the way it works
- For security purposes
If you prevent these cookies, we can’t guarantee how the Website or its security will perform during your visit.
‘Functional’ cookies are used to enable us to provide you with enhanced functionality and personalisation. These cookies are set by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you prevent these cookies, some of these services may not function properly. Common App does not use Performance cookies.
‘Analytics’ cookies collect information about how you use our Website (e.g., which pages you visit and if you experience any errors). These cookies do not collect any information that could identify you and are only used to help us improve how our Website works, understand what interests our users, and measure the effectiveness of our content. We use analytics cookies to perform:
- Web analytics: Provide anonymous statistics on how our website is used.
- Error management: Help us improve the website by measuring any errors that occur.
These analytics cookies are managed for us by third parties.
‘Advertisement’ cookies, set by third parties, are used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant information and advertisements. These technologies may also be used to measure conversions, understand ad effectiveness, and show ads to users who previously visited our Website. If you prevent these cookies, you will continue to see advertisements, but such advertisements will not be tailored to your interests.
5. Your choices
You may delete, block, or disable cookies via your browser settings (please see below for more information on how to do this). Please note that disabling these cookies will affect the Website’s functionality and may prevent you from accessing certain features on the Website.
Most browsers let you remove or reject cookies. To do this, follow the instructions in your browser settings. These settings are usually found in the ‘options’ or ‘preferences’ menu of your internet browser. To understand these settings, the following links may be helpful. Otherwise, you should use the ‘Help’ option in your internet browser for more details:
For more information about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set on your computer or mobile device and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org. If you prevent cookies, you may experience some inconvenience when using our Website. For example, we may not be able to recognize your computer or mobile device, and you may need to log in every time you visit our Website.
6. Opt-out from targeted advertisements
Users may opt out of receiving targeted advertising on the Website through members of the Network Advertising Initiative by clicking here or the Digital Advertising Alliance by clicking here. European users may opt out of receiving targeted advertising on the Website through members of the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance by clicking here, selecting the user’s country, and then clicking “Choices” (or similarly-titled link). Please note that we may also work with companies that offer their own opt-out mechanisms and may not participate in the opt-out mechanisms linked above.
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to opt out of targeted advertising through a Global Privacy Control (GPC) enabled browser setting. If you have this right, when you visit and log in to our websites in a GPC-enabled browser, we will treat our initial receipt of the GPC signal as a valid request to opt out of targeted advertising, as defined by applicable U.S. privacy laws that grant this right. Please note that our processing of the signal may be limited to the specific browser you are using. You may need to renew your opt-out choice if you use a different browser to access our Website.
If you choose to opt-out of targeted advertisements, you will still see advertisements online, but they may not be relevant to you. Even if you do choose to opt out, not all companies that serve online behavioral advertising are included in this list, and so you may still receive some cookies and tailored advertisements from companies that are not listed.
7. Changes
We may need to update our cookie policy from time to time if we decide to use cookies differently, so please check back regularly for any changes.
8. Questions
If you have any questions about this Cookie Notice, please contact us by email at privacy@commonapp.org.
