The Complete Guide to the Common App Scholarship Match Feature
“Helping families reduce college costs—powered by the Common App.”
Dear Parents,
When preparing for your child’s college journey in the U.S., one of the biggest concerns is often the cost of attendance. With rising tuition—especially at private universities—fluctuating exchange rates, and the complexity of financial aid forms like the FAFSA and CSS Profile, access to real, effective funding is more critical than ever.
Recognizing this need, the Common Application has evolved far beyond a simple college admissions platform. One of its most valuable features today is the Scholarship Match—a tool that helps match students with external scholarships based on the information they enter into their Common App.
In this post, we’ll walk you through what this feature is, how it works, which students benefit most, and what parents should know to fully leverage this opportunity.
📌 What Is the Scholarship Match Feature?
The Common App’s Scholarship Match feature automatically connects students with relevant external scholarships offered by foundations, corporations, and nonprofit partners.
There is no separate sign-up required. As long as the student fills out their Common App profile—academics, activities, demographics, and more—the system works behind the scenes to identify potential scholarship opportunities tailored to that student.
⚙ How Does It Work?
Here’s how the Scholarship Match feature operates:
- Students complete the profile, education, and activities sections of their Common App.
- The system analyzes the data and matches the student with eligible scholarships.
- Matched scholarships appear under the “Scholarships” section in the Financial Aid tab of the Common App.
- Each listing includes the amount, eligibility criteria, deadline, and a direct “Apply” link.
- Clicking “Apply” will take the student to the external organization’s website to submit their application.
📩 Reminder System:
Students receive both in-app and email reminders 4 weeks and 1 week before each scholarship’s deadline.
Students who act on these reminders are up to 4 times more likely to submit successful applications.
🎯 Who Can Benefit from This Feature?
While any student using the Common App can benefit, the Scholarship Match tool is particularly helpful for:
| Student Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Low-Income Students | Students with low Expected Family Contribution (EFC) on the FAFSA tend to receive more relevant matches. |
| First-Generation Students | Priority is often given to students whose parents did not complete a four-year college degree. |
| URM Students | Underrepresented minorities (Black, Latino, Indigenous, etc.) are eligible for many targeted scholarships. |
| U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents | Most scholarships require legal residency or citizenship status. |
In addition, scholarships may be matched based on major, activities, location, or personal background, giving students with diverse interests and identities access to opportunities beyond academic or financial need.
📊 Results from the 2023–2024 Season
The Scholarship Match feature made a significant impact during its second year of operation:
- Over $5 million (approx. 6.7 billion KRW) in scholarships matched to students in need
- Partner organizations included Equitable Foundation, Burger King Foundation, and major tech firms
- Students using the feature were up to 4 times more likely to receive scholarships
- Scholarship application rates among URM students doubled
- 70% of applicants were first-generation college students
- The average financial need among matched students exceeded $21,000
This isn’t just a search engine—it’s a system delivering life-changing results.
📅 What’s New for the 2024–2025 Cycle?
The upcoming admissions cycle will bring expanded capabilities to the Scholarship Match feature:
- Renewed partnership with Scholarship America
- New collaboration with the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA)
→ Integration of the NSPA Exchange database with access to over 20,000 scholarships - Improved matching accuracy and broader reach
As a result, students will be matched with more scholarships directly through the Common App and can start their applications sooner than ever.
⚠ Important Notes for Parents
| Key Point | Details |
|---|---|
| ❗ Scholarships are not applied for within the Common App | The platform matches opportunities, but applications must be completed on each scholarship’s external website. |
| ❗ This is separate from colleges’ merit-based scholarships | These are external scholarships, not awarded directly by colleges. |
| ❗ Listings do not carry over between cycles | Scholarship info will reset with the Common App system update on July 28, 2025. |
| ❗ Detailed profiles = better matches | The more complete the Common App (GPA, activities, intended major, etc.), the more accurate the scholarship matches. |
💡 Tips for Parents
- Support your child when filling out the Common App
→ Be especially attentive to financial sections; these often require parent input. - Pursue multiple aid paths in parallel
→ Combine Common App scholarships with FAFSA, CSS Profile, and institutional aid. - Enable email and app notifications
→ Many scholarships are first-come, first-served—alerts can give your child a critical time advantage. - Mark deadlines on a calendar early
→ Late applications are often not considered. Timely action makes a difference.
✨ Final Thoughts
Dear parents, the days of endlessly hunting for scholarships are over.
With the Common App’s Scholarship Match feature, your child’s application data can work for them—automatically surfacing the scholarships that best match their qualifications and background.
For families with limited financial resources or limited access to admissions guidance, this tool can be a life-changing gateway to higher education.
No matter where your child hopes to attend college, using the Scholarship Match tool can bring them one step closer to that dream—without the added financial burden.
Thank you for reading,
Andy Lee
Elite Prep Suwanee powered by Elite Open School
📍 1291 Old Peachtree Rd, NW #127, Suwanee, GA 30024
🌐 eliteprep.com/suwanee
📧 andy.lee@eliteprep.com
📞 Tel & Text: 470.253.1004
🎥 www.youtube.com/@ElitePrepSuwanee
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