College Applications The Common Black College Application Written by Marissa Dudleyon December 18th, 2025 Marissa Dudley joined College Coach after many years in college admissions. She began her career as Assistant Director of Admission at the University of Central Florida, where she served as the athletics liaison and worked closely with the athletics department to streamline admission reviews for Division I athletes. Marissa later transitioned to Colorado College, a selective private institution known for its unique block-style curriculum and field study opportunities. During her tenure, she managed enrollment for the Bridge Scholars Program, reviewed applications for first-year and transfer students from across the U.S. and internationally, and developed recruitment strategies for the Southeastern U.S. and Europe. She also oversaw campus visit programming and implemented data-driven techniques to enhance the visitor experience. Between roles at Colorado College, Marissa served as Assistant Dean of Admission at Claremont McKenna College, where she managed complex operational processes supporting recruitment, reading, and marketing efforts. At Claremont McKenna, which emphasizes government, economics, public affairs, finance, and international relations, Marissa chaired the anti-racist steering committee, leading initiatives to increase college access for underrepresented students. Learn More About Marissa common app, college applications, hbcu, When we think about college applications, the Common App is usually the first one that comes to mind because it’s used by over 1,000 colleges and universities. This online platform lets students apply to up to 20 colleges with one application but there’s another platform that can make the admissions process even easier—and more affordable: the Common Black College Application (CBCA). With this one application, you can apply to 50+ Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). (Note: Spelman, Howard, and Morehouse do not accept the CBCA and instead require the Common Application.) And here’s the best part about the CBCA: Instead of paying up to $90 per college, like with the Common App, the CBCA charges a single $20 fee for all member schools. That’s right, you pay just once, even if applying to multiple colleges. Steps to complete the CBCA Fill out a questionnaire that includes basic biographical details, academic background including approximate high school GPA, extracurricular activities, and intended major. Indicate four preferred colleges in the “Enrollment” section of the application. This helps the institutions understand the applicant’s level of interest and prioritize outreach. It also ensures that the colleges most important to the student can review the application promptly and potentially engage with the applicant earlier in the process. Once the application is submitted, students cannot make changes to the application or alter their top four preferred colleges. However, they must log back into the application to add any additional colleges where they would like their CBCA application to be considered. These additional colleges can be listed under the “membership institution search” function in the CBCA. It is essential that students follow this step; if a college is not listed as one of the preferred four colleges or as an additional college, they will not review the application. For detailed guidance on adding more institutions, refer to CBCA’s step-by-step resource. Essays are not required for the CBCA, but individual colleges may have additional requirements such as essays or letters of recommendation that students must submit outside of the CBCA, often through a university-specific online portal. To ensure a complete application, students should carefully review each college’s official admissions website for any additional requirements. Students may upload unofficial transcripts to their CBCA dashboard. After app submission, the applicant’s high school counselor will receive an email with instructions to create an account and upload the official version of the transcript; if no email arrives, counselors should visit the CBCA websiteto create an account manually. If applying with SAT or ACT scores, students can also self-report those in the CBCA dashboard. Some colleges may ask that applicants also submit an official version of their test scores, which must come directly from the testing agency. Benefits and Drawbacks of the CBCA You might be wondering if the CBCA is the best option for you with the variety of college applications out there. Here are some benefits and potential drawbacks to using the CBCA. Benefits: You do not have to reinvent the wheel! There is a lot of overlap in the questions asked on the Common App and the CBCA. You might use the Common Application as your primary app and copy and paste much of your data into the CBCA to apply to additional HBCU. Using the CBCA can help you save on application fees. The CBCA presents a great opportunity to learn about and apply to HBCU that might not be on your radar. Drawbacks: Working on another application! While copy and pasting from one application to another can be great, it can be time consuming. Having to log back in to your CBCA after pressing “submit” to add additional colleges outside of the top four colleges you originally list. Having to submit documents separately. Colleges might require that you submit essays, test scores, letters of recommendation, and any other additional documents through portals separate from the CBCA. In summary, the CBCA might be an application that can help you reach your college application goals! The CBCA is set up to allow for cost accessibility and allows you to learn and apply to a wide range of HBCU that might be a great fit for you. Find out where our team of admissions decision-makers came from and why they joined College Coach. Meet The Team Related Resources Read | Posted on September 10th, 2024 What is a Brag Sheet and What Goes on It? Read | Posted on May 13th, 2024 Should You Submit an Optional Portfolio with Your College Application? Read | Posted on May 6th, 2024 UT Austin’s New Approach to Recommendation Letters
