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India was second only to China among non-US home countries of Common App first-year applicants in the 2025–26 cycle, as of 1 February 2026 (Common App, February 2026). Yet the form is built around US schools, with GPAs, class ranks and college counsellors. Here is how each part fits an Indian school record.
What are the sections of the Common App?
The main form, My Common Application, has seven parts: Profile, Family, Education, Testing, Activities, Writing, and Courses & Grades, which only some colleges require (Common App 2025–26 updates). Each college decides which school forms it wants, such as the school report, counsellor recommendation and mid-year report (Common App). The application launches on 1 August each year, but you can start earlier, because your My Common Application answers roll over (Common App, May 2026).
How do I enter Indian marks when my school has no GPA?
CBSE results come subject by subject. Its examination bye-laws state that marks and grades are given for individual subjects and “No overall division/distinction/aggregate shall be awarded” (CBSE examination bye-laws). So don’t invent an aggregate or a 4.0 GPA.
If your school does not calculate a cumulative numerical GPA, leave the Cumulative GPA field blank; it is not required to submit. If your school does not rank students, choose “none” for class rank (Common App).
Board results go in the Testing section. Answer yes when asked whether promotion in your system is based on leaving exams set by a state or national board, and a Senior Secondary Leaving Examinations subsection opens. You can list up to 10 exams, choose your board from 30 options (or select “Other” and type it in), and mark each score as actual or predicted (Common App).
What does the school counsellor do on the Common App?
On the Common App, “counsellor” is a role, not a job title. That person submits school forms such as the school report and school profile; colleges receive them only after you submit (Common App). The school report must go in before the mid-year report, which counsellors should send as soon as first-term grades are ready; in many Indian schools, that means half-yearly marks. You invite your counsellor and teachers in the Recommenders and FERPA part of My Colleges.
No college counsellor? Ask a principal or senior teacher:
“Ma’am, I am applying to US universities through the Common App and would like to add you as my school counsellor. You would get an email asking you to upload my transcript, a school profile and a school report, then my half-yearly marks. Could we meet for 15 minutes this week? My first deadline is [date].”
Bring a one-page note on your board, subjects, grading scale and class ranking.
How should I fill the Common App activities section?
You can list up to 10 activities and up to 5 academic honours (Common App checklist). The description gets 150 characters, the position field 50 and the organisation name 100, so you will need to cut words (Common App activities guide). For 2026–27 the section is renamed “Activities and experiences”, the position/leadership field becomes optional, the character limits stay the same, and employment, family responsibilities and hobbies are listed as examples (Common App, May 2026).
Hours per week and weeks per year have their own fields, so leave them out of the description and add true specifics:
Before (169 characters, too long): “Since Class 10 I have been teaching maths every Sunday to younger children who live in my apartment building, and I also make all their worksheets myself, which I enjoy.”
After (117 characters): “Teach Sunday maths class to 6 Class 8 students in my building; write all worksheets; 2 moved from failing to passing.”
Olympiad results belong under honours (see getting started with the physics olympiad). A project you began yourself can be a strong entry: here is how to build a science project from a real question.
How do I choose a Common App essay prompt?
The seven essay prompts are unchanged for 2026–27 (Common App). The essay runs 250 to 650 words: the University of Washington asks for “no more than 650 words” and notes the application will not accept fewer than 250 (UW Admissions).
Common App’s May 2025 and May 2026 webinars show the same split across prompts, without naming the cycle: 28% topic of your choice, 22% facing adversity, 20% personal growth, 18% background, identity, interest or talent, and only 5% intellectual curiosity. Choose the story only you could tell. An essay about your board marks or JEE rank repeats what your transcript already shows.
Use the other boxes for context, not a second essay: Additional Information allows 300 words, enough to explain your board’s grading, and the challenges and circumstances question allows 250 (Common App 2025–26 updates).
Writing about a physics or maths idea? Check you can explain it correctly. The Fermi Concept Library has a lesson for every concept in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and computing.
