Common App vs OpenEMIS Admissions

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.

OpenEMIS Admissions helps schools handle student applications and enrolment online. Parents can apply for a new or existing student and submit applications to multiple institutions. The form captures student identity, location, address area, birthplace and guardian details. School administrators can review and manage applications using real-time student data, track admission and enrolment status, and approve or reject applications. OpenEMIS Registrations links directly to OpenEMIS Core. The online form works in a browser or on a mobile device with an internet connection; the datasheet lists Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox and Safari. OpenEMIS can be installed on an organisation’s own IT infrastructure or accessed through dedicated secure hosted workspaces. The product is described as free open source software with no licensing fees; its Free open source software plan is free. Users receive a free knowledge base and product documentation. OpenEMIS says it uses industry-standard security protocols, follows OWASP recommendations and is regularly audited against common web attacks.