Laura Berlinsky-Schine June 7, 2022 5 Applying to College,Coalition Application

Which Schools Use the Coalition Application?

What’s Covered:

What is the Coalition App? How is it Different?
Complete List of Schools That Use the Coalition App
Can You Use Both the Common App and Coalition App?
What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

The Common Application was launched in 1975 with just 15 member schools. But it would take decades before it was widely adopted. Today, however, more than 900 colleges and universities accept the application, streamlining the admissions process for millions of college-bound students every year.

In 2015, an alternative to the Common App was introduced: the Coalition Application. Today, more than 150 schools accept this newer model, and that number is growing.

What is the Coalition App? How is it Different?

Both the Common App and the Coalition App give students the opportunity to store information and complete and submit applications without having to fill out their data repeatedly. They also allow students to write an essay they can use for all the colleges that accept the application, although many schools require supplemental essays, too.

There are some differences between the two applications, however. The Coalition App was created to support underrepresented groups as they apply to college, so the platform only includes schools that offer low-cost tuition and/or substantial financial aid packages.

The Coalition App has several innovative features, such as a collaboration space, where students can work with teachers, mentors, and others to get feedback on their materials. The popular locker feature allows users to save information, collecting materials as early as freshman year of high school.

While far fewer schools accept the Coalition App, there are several that accept it and not the Common App. Some schools accept neither.

Complete List of Schools That Use the Coalition App

School	City	State
Alfred University	Alfred	NY
Allegheny College	Meadville	PA
American University	Washington	DC
Amherst College	Amherst	MA
Arcadia University	Glenside	PA
Arizona State University	Tempe	AZ
Austin College	Sherman	TX
Babson College	Wellesley	MA
Barnard College	New York	NY
Bates College	Lewiston	ME
Berea College	Berea	KY
Binghamton University	Binghamton	NY
Birmingham-Southern College	Birmingham	AL
Boston University	Boston	MA
Bowdoin College	Brunswick	ME
Bryn Mawr College	Bryn Mawr	PA
Bucknell University	Lewisburg	PA
Caltech	Pasadena	CA
Carleton College	Northfield	MN
Case Western Reserve University	Cleveland	OH
Chatham University	Pittsburgh	PA
Christopher Newport University	Newport News	VA
Claremont McKenna College	Claremont	CA
Clemson University	Clemson	SC
Colby College	Waterville	ME
Colgate University	Hamilton	NY
College of the Holy Cross	Worcester	MA
The College of New Jersey	Ewing	NJ
The College of Wooster	Wooster	OH
Colorado College	Colorado Springs	CO
Columbia University	New York	NY
Cornell College	Mount Vernon	IA
Davidson College	Davidson	NC
Denison University	Granville	OH
Drexel University	Philadelphia	PA
Duke University	Durham	NC
Duquesne University	Pittsburgh	PA
Eastern Connecticut State University	Willimantic	CT
Emory University	Atlanta	GA
Florida Southern College	Lakeland	FL
Florida State University	Tallahassee	FL
Franklin & Marshall College	Lancaster	PA
Furman University	Greenville	SC
Hamilton College	Clinton	NY
Harvard University	Cambridge	MA
Harvey Mudd College	Claremont	CA
Haverford College	Haverford	PA
Hobart and William Smith Colleges	Geneva	NY
Hope College	Holland	MI
Illinois College	Jacksonville	IL
Illinois State University	Normal	IL
Indiana University Bloomington	Bloomington	IN
James Madison University	Harrisonburg	VA
Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore	MD
Kenyon College	Gambier	OH
Knox College	Galesburg	IL
La Salle University	Philadelphia	PA
Lehigh University	Bethlehem	PA
Lewis University	Romeoville	IL
Loyola Marymount University	Los Angeles	CA
Loyola University Chicago	Chicago	IL
Lycoming College	Williamsport	PA
Maine Maritime Academy	Castine	ME
Manhattan College	Riverdale	NY
Maryland Institute College of Art	Baltimore	MD
Maryville University	Saint Louis	MO
Mercyhurst University	Erie	PA
Miami University – Ohio	Oxford	OH
Michigan State University	East Lansing	MI
Middlebury College	Middlebury	VT
Mississippi State University	Starkville	MS
Mount Holyoke College	South Hadley	MA
NC State University	Raleigh	NC
New England Conservatory of Music	Boston	MA
North Central College	Naperville	IL
Northeastern University	Boston	MA
Northwestern University	Evanston	IL
Oberlin College	Oberlin	OH
Olin College of Engineering	Needham	MA
Otterbein University	Westerville	OH
Penn State	University Park	PA
Pomona College	Claremont	CA
Portland State University	Portland	OR
Presbyterian College	Clinton	SC
Princeton University	Princeton	NJ
Ramapo College of New Jersey	Mahwah	NJ
Reed College	Portland	OR
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Troy	NY
Rice University	Houston	TX
Robert Morris University	Pittsburgh	PA
Rollins College	Winter Park	FL
Rutgers University – Camden	Camden	NJ
Rutgers University – New Brunswick	New Brunswick	NJ
Rutgers University – Newark	Newark	NJ
Saint Mary’s College of California	Moraga	CA
Skidmore College	Saratoga Springs	NY
Smith College	Northampton	MA
Southern Methodist University	Dallas	TX
Southwestern University	Georgetown	TX
St. Edward’s University	Austin	TX
St. John’s College	Annapolis	MD
St. John’s College	Santa Fe	NM
St. Mary’s College of Maryland	St. Mary’s City	MD
St. Mary’s University	San Antonio	TX
St. Olaf College	Northfield	MN
Stanford University	Stanford	CA
Stony Brook University	Stony Brook	NY
Swarthmore College	Swarthmore	PA
Syracuse University	Syracuse	NY
Texas A&M University	College Station	TX
Texas Christian University	Forth Worth	TX
Texas State University	San Marcos	TX
Texas Tech University	Lubbock	TX
Trinity University	San Antonio	TX
Tufts University	Medford	MA
UNC Charlotte	Charlotte	NC
Union College	Schenectady	NY
University at Buffalo	Buffalo	NY
University of Arizona	Tucson	AZ
University of Chicago	Chicago	IL
University of Connecticut	Storrs	CT
University of Dayton	Dayton	OH
University of Delaware	Newark	DE
University of Florida	Gainesville	FL
University of Georgia	Athens	GA
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa	Honolulu	HI
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	Urbana-Champaign	IL
University of Iowa	Iowa City	IA
University of Kentucky	Lexington	KY
University of Maryland	College Park	MD
University of Massachusetts – Lowell	Lowell	MA
University of Michigan	Ann Arbor	MI
University of Nebraska – Lincoln	Lincoln	NE
University of New England	Biddeford	NE
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill	NC
University of Notre Dame	Notre Dame	IN
University of Oklahoma	Norman	OK
University of Oregon	Eugene	OR
University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	PA
University of Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	PA
University of Richmond	Richmond	VA
University of Rochester	Rochester	NY
University of South Carolina	Columbia	SC
University of South Florida	Tampa	FL
The University of New Mexico	Albuquerque	NM
The University of Tampa	Tampa	FL
University of Texas at Austin	Austin	TX
University of Vermont	Burlington	VT
University of Washington	Seattle	WA
University of Washington Bothell	Bothel	WA
Vanderbilt University	Nashville	TN
Vassar College	Poughkeepsie	NY
Virginia Tech	Blacksburg	VA
Marquette University	Milwaukee	WI
Wake Forest University	Winston-Salem	SC
Washington University in St. Louis	St. Louis	MO
Webster University	St. Louis	MO
Wellesley College	Wellesley	MA
Wesleyan University	Middletown	CT
Western Washington University	Bellingham	WA
Williams College	Williamstown	MA
Wilkes University	Wilkes Barre	PA
Yale University	New Haven	CT
York College of Pennsylvania	York	PA

Can You Use Both the Common App and Coalition App?

In most cases, you will only need to use either the Common App or Coalition App, but you may find that some schools on your list only accept one or the other. If that’s the case, then you will have to complete both applications. The good news is that many of the essay prompts overlap, so you may be able to recycle your essays or use similar outlines.

For example, take a look at these prompts from the 2022–2023 admissions cycle:

Obstacles and lessons

Common App prompt #2: The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Coalition App prompt #5: What success have you achieved or obstacle have you faced? What advice would you give a sibling or friend going through a similar experience?

Challenging beliefs

Common App prompt #3: Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Coalition App prompt #4: Has there been a time when an idea or belief of yours was questioned? How did you respond? What did you learn?

Additionally, both applications offer the option of creating your own topic.

See this year’s full lists of essay topics and advice for writing your college essays:

Coalition App

Common App

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

If schools accept both the Common App and the Coalition App, your chances of admission are the same no matter which application you use. Find out your real odds of getting into top schools across the country by using our chancing engine. You’ll also receive free tips on how to improve your profile!

Laura Berlinsky-Schine

Senior Blogger

Short Bio

Laura Berlinsky-Schine is a freelance writer and editor based in Brooklyn with her demigod/lab mix Hercules. She specializes in education, technology and career development. She also writes satire and humor, which has appeared in Slackjaw, Points in Case, Little Old Lady Comedy, Jane Austen’s Wastebasket, and Funny-ish. View her work and get in touch at: www.lauraberlinskyschine.com.

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars

Which Schools Use the Coalition Application?

What’s Covered:

What is the Coalition App? How is it Different?

Complete List of Schools That Use the Coalition App

Can You Use Both the Common App and Coalition App?

Obstacles and lessons

Challenging beliefs

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars

Which Schools Use the Coalition Application?

What’s Covered:

What is the Coalition App? How is it Different?

Complete List of Schools That Use the Coalition App

Can You Use Both the Common App and Coalition App?

Obstacles and lessons

Challenging beliefs

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

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