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Coalition App: Everything You Need to Know

06/05/2024•12 minute read

College Applications, Admissions Advice

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Coalition App

How Does it Work?

Essay Prompts

What Schools Use It?

The Common App is the most widely used application for colleges in the US, but not the only one. The main alternative is the Coalition App, an application platform that is now accepted by more than 150 schools

Are you looking to know more about the Coalition App? Well, you're in luck because today, we're diving deep into this application platform; what it is, how it works, and what schools use it.

What is the Coalition App?

Similar to the Common App, the Coalition App is an online platform designed to streamline the college application process by allowing you to submit applications to a diverse range of schools, all in one place.

This makes it much simpler to apply to your target colleges without having to submit multiple applications. But with that said, some schools might ask for specific additional materials or supplemental documents outside of the main Coalition App.

The Coalition App is much newer than the Common App, and it’s used by fewer schools. This is because there’s a specific type of school that uses the Coalition App - schools with financial and academic programming for lower-income, under-resourced, and first-generation students.

In fact, one of the defining characteristics of the Coalition App is its focus on accessibility and inclusivity, and how it aims to break down barriers to higher education. The online platform it uses provides an online locker that makes it easier for you to track your achievements and documents throughout your high school journey.

How Does the Coalition App Work?

The Coalition App is designed to simplify the college application process, and so the steps to applying using it are fairly simple as well:

Create Your Account on their website: This will serve as your central hub for managing your college applications.
Identify Your Colleges: Choose the colleges you're applying to. (see list of colleges that accept the Coalition App below)
Gather Your Materials: Gather all the necessary materials, such as transcripts, test scores, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. Remember that the Coalition App provides a digital Locker where you can store and organize these documents throughout your high school journey.
Complete Your Profile: This includes providing basic information about yourself, your academic history, extracurricular activities, and any other relevant details.
Write Your Essays: The Coalition App allows you to write and revise your essays directly within the platform, making it easy to keep track of your progress. (See essay prompts below)
Request Recommendations: If required, you can request letters of recommendation from teachers, counselors, or mentors through the Coalition App's Collaboration Space. This feature allows you to invite others to review and provide feedback on your application materials.
Submit Your Applications: Once you've completed all the necessary sections of your application and reviewed everything for accuracy, it's time to submit! The Coalition App allows you to submit your applications to multiple colleges with just a few clicks, saving you time and hassle.

Coalition App Essay Prompts

The Coalition App provides you with 5 essay prompts, but you only have to choose one to write about.

Keep in mind that every member school that accepts the Coalition App requires this essay. Additionally, some schools might require college-specific essays for their individual application.

These prompts might change in the future. However, they’re the same for both year 2023-24 and year 2024-25. Here are the essay prompts:

Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.
What interests or excites you? How does it shape who you are now or who you might become in the future?
Describe a time when you had a positive impact on others. What were the challenges? What were the rewards?
Has there been a time when an idea or belief of yours was questioned? How did you respond? What did you learn?
What success have you achieved or obstacle have you faced? What advice would you give a sibling or friend going through a similar experience?

What Schools Use the Coalition App?

Keep in mind that the list of member institutions may evolve over time. As of May 2024, here is the list of all the schools that use Coalition App:

Full List of Schools That Accept the Coalition App
Allegheny College, Meadville, PA American University, Washington, D.C. Amherst College, Amherst, MA Arcadia University, Glenside, PA Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ Austin College, Sherman, TX Babson College, Wellesley, MA Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY Barnard College, New York City, NY Bates College, Lewiston, ME Belmont University, Nashville, TN Beloit College, Beloit, WI Bentley University, Waltham, MA Berea College, Berea, KY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, AL Boston University, Boston, MA Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA Caltech, Pasadena, CA Carleton College, Northfield, MN Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport, LA Centre College, Danville, KY Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA Clark University, Worcester, MA 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 City, NY Davidson College, Davidson, NC Denison University, Granville, OH DePauw University, Greencastle, IN Drew University, Madison, NJ Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA Duke University, Durham, NC Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT Elmhurst University, Elmhurst, Illinois Emory University, Atlanta, GA Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA Furman University, Greenville, SC Hamilton College, Clinton, NY Hanover College, Hanover, IN Harvard College, Cambridge, MA Haverford College, Haverford, PA High Point University, High Point, NC Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY Hope College, Holland, MI Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD Kenyon College, Gambier, OH Knox College, Galesburg, IL Lawrence University, Appleton, WI Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA Maine Maritime Academy, Castine, ME Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD Marywood University, Scranton, PA Mercyhurst University, Erie, PA Miami University - Ohio, Oxford, OH Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA Mount Marty University, Yankton, SD NC State University, Raleigh, NC New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Socorro, NM Northeastern University, Boston, MA Northwestern University, Evanston, IL Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, GA Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA Pace University, New York, NY Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, FL Penn State, University Park, PA Pomona College, Claremont, CA Portland State University, Portland, OR Princeton University, Princeton, NJ Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT Reed College, Portland, OR Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY Rice University, Houston, TX Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, PA Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ Rutgers University - New Brunswick, New Brunswick, NJ Rutgers University - Newark, Newark, NJ Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, CA Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, VT Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY Smith College, Northampton, MA Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX St. Edward’s University, Austin, TX St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD & Santa Fe, NM St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, MD St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN Stanford University, Stanford, CA Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ Stockton University, Galloway, NJ Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX Trinity University, San Antonio, TX Tufts University, Medford, MA UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 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 Idaho, Moscow, ID University of Illinois Springfield, Springfield, IL University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY University of La Verne, La Verne, CA University of Maryland, College Park, MD University of Massachusetts - Lowell, Lowell, MA University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI University of New England, Biddeford, ME University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA University of Richmond, Richmond, VA University of Rochester, Rochester, NY University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX University of Vermont, Burlington, VT University of Washington, Seattle, WA University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, WA Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, PA Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO Webster University, St. Louis, MO Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA Wheaton College, Norton, MA Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA Willamette University, Salem, OR Williams College, Williamstown, MA Yale University, New Haven, CT York College of Pennsylvania, York, PA

Full List of Schools That Accept the Coalition App

Allegheny College, Meadville, PA American University, Washington, D.C. Amherst College, Amherst, MA Arcadia University, Glenside, PA Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ Austin College, Sherman, TX Babson College, Wellesley, MA Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY Barnard College, New York City, NY Bates College, Lewiston, ME Belmont University, Nashville, TN Beloit College, Beloit, WI Bentley University, Waltham, MA Berea College, Berea, KY Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, AL Boston University, Boston, MA Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA Caltech, Pasadena, CA Carleton College, Northfield, MN Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport, LA Centre College, Danville, KY Chaminade University of Honolulu, Honolulu, HI Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA Clark University, Worcester, MA 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 City, NY Davidson College, Davidson, NC Denison University, Granville, OH DePauw University, Greencastle, IN Drew University, Madison, NJ Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA Duke University, Durham, NC Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA Eastern Connecticut State University, Willimantic, CT Elmhurst University, Elmhurst, Illinois Emory University, Atlanta, GA Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA Furman University, Greenville, SC Hamilton College, Clinton, NY Hanover College, Hanover, IN Harvard College, Cambridge, MA Haverford College, Haverford, PA High Point University, High Point, NC Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY Hope College, Holland, MI Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, IN Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD Kenyon College, Gambier, OH Knox College, Galesburg, IL Lawrence University, Appleton, WI Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA Lycoming College, Williamsport, PA Maine Maritime Academy, Castine, ME Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD Marywood University, Scranton, PA Mercyhurst University, Erie, PA Miami University - Ohio, Oxford, OH Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA Mount Marty University, Yankton, SD NC State University, Raleigh, NC New Mexico Institute of Mining & Technology, Socorro, NM Northeastern University, Boston, MA Northwestern University, Evanston, IL Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, GA Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA Pace University, New York, NY Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, FL Penn State, University Park, PA Pomona College, Claremont, CA Portland State University, Portland, OR Princeton University, Princeton, NJ Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT Reed College, Portland, OR Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY Rice University, Houston, TX Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, PA Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ Rutgers University - New Brunswick, New Brunswick, NJ Rutgers University - Newark, Newark, NJ Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, CA Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, VT Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY Smith College, Northampton, MA Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX St. Edward’s University, Austin, TX St. John’s College, Annapolis, MD & Santa Fe, NM St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, MD St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX St. Norbert College, De Pere, WI St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN Stanford University, Stanford, CA Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ Stockton University, Galloway, NJ Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX Trinity University, San Antonio, TX Tufts University, Medford, MA UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 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 Idaho, Moscow, ID University of Illinois Springfield, Springfield, IL University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY University of La Verne, La Verne, CA University of Maryland, College Park, MD University of Massachusetts - Lowell, Lowell, MA University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI University of New England, Biddeford, ME University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA University of Richmond, Richmond, VA University of Rochester, Rochester, NY University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA The University of Tampa, Tampa, FL University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX University of Vermont, Burlington, VT University of Washington, Seattle, WA University of Washington Bothell, Bothell, WA Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, PA Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO Webster University, St. Louis, MO Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA Wheaton College, Norton, MA Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA Willamette University, Salem, OR Williams College, Williamstown, MA Yale University, New Haven, CT York College of Pennsylvania, York, PA

How Many Schools Can You Apply to on the Coalition App?

The short answer is as many as you want.

On the Coalition App, there is no set limit to the number of schools you can apply to. You have the flexibility to apply to as many member colleges as you want.This flexibility allows you to cast a wide net and maximize your chances of finding the perfect fit for you.

With that said, keep in mind that each school may have its own application fee and specific application materials, so it's important to strategize and prioritize your applications based on factors such as your interests, preferences, and resources.

Are There Coalition-Exclusive Colleges?

While some colleges initially committed to being "Coalition-exclusive," meaning they only accepted applications through the Coalition App, that landscape has evolved.

The University of Washington-Seattle was the sole Coalition-exclusive institution for a while, but it recently announced a change in its admissions process, no longer accepting Coalition Applications for fall 2023 admissions.

This shift means there are currently no remaining Coalition-exclusive schools.

Coalition App vs Common App: What’s The Difference?

Navigating college applications can feel like a maze, especially when comparing platforms like the Coalition App and the Common App.

The main difference lies in their membership and accessibility. While both platforms aim to streamline the application process, the Coalition App is backed by a specific coalition of colleges and universities, focusing on access and affordability.

On the other hand, the Common App boasts a larger membership base, including a wide range of institutions across the globe.

When deciding which platform to use, consider factors like your preferred schools, application requirements, and personal preferences.

Read our post explaining the differences in details: Common App vs Coalition App

Final Thoughts

We hope this deep dive into the Coalition App has provided you with valuable insights as you embark on your college application journey.

With its emphasis on accessibility and inclusivity, the Coalition App provides a robust platform for showcasing your unique qualities and achievements to a diverse array of colleges and universities.

Whether you're a first-generation student or come from a low-income background, this application offers valuable resources and support to help you navigate the college admissions process with confidence.

If you need help with finding the perfect school for you and applying to it, whether it's through the Common App or Coalition App, our expert strategists are ready to help.

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