Common App vs Embark

Common App helps students explore colleges, submit applications, and navigate the admissions process. It serves first-year and transfer applicants and lets students explore more than 1,100 Common App colleges. Its first-year guidance covers gathering materials, setting up an account, adding colleges, engaging supporters, reviewing requirements, planning essays, and submitting an application. Accounts can roll over from year to year, and answers in My Common Application can be saved across years. Students who complete a profile may receive non-binding direct admission offers from participating colleges before submitting an application; applying through the program to colleges offering those admissions is free. Otherwise, each college decides whether to charge an application fee and the amount, and many colleges do not charge one. Qualifying students may be eligible for a Common App fee waiver, subject to participating colleges’ policies. The nonprofit membership organization describes its focus as access, equity, and integrity in college admission. Common App is available on web, Android, and iOS. It lists integrations with CRM and SIS providers, school counseling platforms, and embedded services including SlideRoom and UStrive.

Embark provides online application and admissions software for organizations managing recruiting, applications, reviews, enrollment, and onboarding. It serves schools, universities, fellowships, scholarships, music programs, and study abroad programs. Organizations can create branded applications with branching logic and collect references, documents, audio, and video. Recruiting features include inquiry forms, email campaigns, events, waitlists, and RSVP tracking. Reviewers can rate and comment on applications online, or download them for paper review. AI tools can evaluate applications and extract information; automations can flag applicants for further review or send communications. Applicants can record timed video interviews with limited retries. Embark supports data exports to organizational databases and student information systems, including PeopleSoft and Salesforce. It is available on Android, iOS, and the web, and the company says its software is responsive on smartphones and tablets. Embark says it has been in business since 1995 and offers round-the-clock technical support to applicants, reviewers, and administrators. Pricing is not published; interested organizations can contact Embark.