Top 5 College Application Components You Don't Want to Overlook

You’ve filled out the Common App, written any essays required by your colleges, and assume all that’s left is to click submit. Great job, but not so fast. Many colleges require supporting documents that can easily be overlooked, and it’s vital to check each college’s website to learn which of these additional materials they request.  

Here are the top five items you don’t want to forget: 

Transcripts 

There are three ways colleges might ask for access to your transcript: 

• A college may require that your high school electronically send an official transcript. This request must usually be initiated by the student, often through the counseling or registrar’s office, or through an online platform used by the high school. 

• A college might ask you to submit your courses and grades via STARS (Self-Reported Transcript and Academic Record System), the platform formerly known as the SSAR/SRAR. Students can create a STARS account and, from there, send their courses and grades to multiple colleges.  

• A college may let you simply self-report courses and grades in the application. (In this case, they would only expect an official transcript from your high school if you are later accepted and choose to enroll at that college.) 

Important note: Did you take outside courses, earning credit that doesn’t appear on your high school transcript? Maybe through a community college, university, or online provider? Colleges may want to see transcripts from all institutions attended during high school. Check each of your prospective colleges’ admissions websites to understand their transcript requirements.  

Test Scores 

As with transcripts, colleges have different ways of requesting that these be sent.  

• Some colleges require that students order official score reports from the testing agency (SAT, ACT). These agencies let you select specific campuses as score report recipients.  

• Some colleges are fine with you simply self-reporting scores in the application, though these colleges may also ask that you self-report those scores a second time in the college’s own prospective student portal after submitting the application. These colleges will ask for official verification of your scores if you choose to enroll with them.  

Letters of recommendation 

Maybe you’ve asked a teacher and/or counselor for a rec letter and they said yes. Great! But now what? Be sure to follow up with them to confirm how your school submits letters. You may be advised to use the Common App’s built-in recommender invitation system, or your school may use an additional platform, like Naviance or Scoir, to transmit letters.  

Midyear Report 

This is a section of the Common Application to be completed by the high school counseling office. Not every college requires it, and those that do may not expect to receive it until after you've applied. 

• Some Early Decision schools might require that the Midyear Report be completed with first-quarter grades before issuing an admissions decision.  

• Applicants using Regular Decision—or those deferred from Early Action or Early Decision to Regular Decision—are often required to complete the Midyear Report with first-semester grades. Students are advised to check in with their school counselor to ensure this report is sent at the appropriate time. 

Financial aid forms 

Some colleges require that you apply for need-based aid with the FAFSA (and sometimes the CSS Profile) to qualify for their merit scholarships. Even if you don't think you will qualify for aid, you should check the school requirements and potentially complete the FAFSA. At some schools, the deadline for merit scholarship consideration is earlier than the regular deadline, so check each college’s admissions and financial aid websites for important dates.