The March report offers a glimpse into who is applying to college and how.
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College applications are up, according to the Common App’s latest set of 2025–26 application cycle data, which summarizes trends as of March 1. It’s the final data drop before the nonprofit’s final analysis comes out this summer.
Prospective students had submitted 9.4 million applications to the 911 institutions included in the analysis, representing a 5 percent increase compared to this time last year and a whopping 2.1 million increase from just four years ago. The number of applications each applicant submits is also steadily rising, increasing 3 percent to 6.59 applications apiece.
This data isn’t a comprehensive look at college applications this year—the Common App’s members include fewer than half of all four-year institutions—but they provide a glimpse into who is applying to college and how. Here are three key takeaways from the March data.
1. More applicants are submitting test scores.
For the first time since before the pandemic, more students applying to start college in fall 2026 are choosing to submit test scores than not. This isn’t based on any resurgence of colleges requiring test scores; the vast majority of institutions are still test optional, according to FairTest, a policy organization that advocates against standardized tests, and just six new institutions started requiring score submissions this admissions cycle. According to Common App, just 5 percent of the institutions on their platform require test scores.
The exact reasons for such a dramatic shift are unclear. It correlates with a slight increase in the number of students who are taking standardized tests. In September, the SAT announced over two million students took the test, up significantly from a low of 1.51 million in 2021 and a slight increase from 2024. The number of students who took the ACT rose from 1.3 million in 2021 to 1.38 million in 2025.
“I’m not entirely surprised, given that some schools, particularly all the Ivies except Columbia [University], and some of the state schools, have revoked test-optional policies,” said Harry Feder, executive director of FairTest. “I think what we’re seeing is a concentrated campaign by forces that are trying to convince folks that standardized tests and the SAT and the ACT are a necessary gatekeeper for high-level universities” despite the fact that there is evidence to the contrary, he said.
In total, nearly 784,000 students have submitted test scores while around 58,000 fewer than last year have submitted no test scores. The number of applicants submitting test scores has risen dramatically in the past two years—22.9 percent—compared to the two years following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it increased just 6 percent from 2021–22 to 2023–24.
Low-income, underrepresented minority and first-generation students remain less likely to report test scores.
2. International applications are down.
After a year of turmoil for international students, it’s perhaps unsurprising to find that the number of international students applying via Common App is down 9 percent, from 151,848 last year to 138,127. That represents declines in applicants from every region of the globe except the Americas, which experienced a 4 percent increase in applicants.
The starkest drops were seen in applicants from Asia (10 percent) and Africa (16 percent), and applications from countries such as China (3 percent), India (14 percent), Ghana (34 percent), Nigeria (17 percent), Canada (13 percent) and Ethiopia (29 percent) have decreased precipitously. These sharp drops come after applications from some of those countries first began to decline last year.
Over all, the number of international students coming to the U.S. is also declining; recently released visa data shows 35.6 percent fewer new student visas were issued in summer 2025 compared to the previous summer. Still, surveys show that international students remain interested in studying in the U.S.
3. The share of first-gen, Black and Southern students is growing.
While the number of continuing-generation applicants—those with at least one parent with a bachelor’s degree—remained essentially steady year over year, the number of first-generation applicants continued to climb, increasing 6 percent.
Likewise, the number of applicants eligible for a fee waiver increased by 6 percent, while the number who are not eligible didn’t change significantly from the 2024–25 cycle. Black applicants were the fastest-growing demographic group, increasing 8 percent year over year.
Geographically, the most common region for applicants to come from is the South, which surpassed the Mid-Atlantic last year and continued to outpace the region this year. The fastest-growing region is the Southwest, where applicants increased by 8 percent this year. Applications grew this year from all regions except New England, which remained stagnant from last application cycle.
Texas also surpassed New York as the state with the most applicants, and the two fastest-growing states are Alabama and Mississippi.
