What to Know About the 2026 College Application Changes

College application and admissions rules seem to shift every year, and the 2025-2026 cycle has many meaningful changes, from SAT and ACT requirements to the applications themselves. For students, parents and educators trying to keep up, it can feel overwhelming, but knowing what changed and what to do about it can make this cycle feel more manageable.

1. The Return of the SAT and ACT at Top Schools

Many selective colleges suspended SAT and ACT requirements during the pandemic, and test-optional admissions became common at schools nationwide. That trend is now reversing at some of the top institutions.

For example, Dartmouth College began reactivating its standardized testing requirement with the Class of 2029. Its own research found that test scores, when paired with GPA, are among the most reliable predictors of student success. This holds true even for applicants from under-resourced backgrounds who might otherwise go unnoticed in a test-optional system.

Students should confirm each target college’s current testing requirements on its website, rather than assuming last year’s policy still applies. Parents and educators can help reinforce this habit by building a quick policy check into campus visits. They can also check at college fairs.

2. Phasing out Advantages for Alumni Children

More states are reconsidering whether a student’s family history with a school should influence their chances of getting in. For instance, legacy and donor admissions preferences are banned at nonpublic, nonprofit, accredited institutions connected to state financial aid in California. This new regulation starts in fall 2025.

Several other states have passed or are considering similar restrictions ahead of the 2025-2026 cycle, though details vary by state. Students without family ties to a school should lean into the factors they can control, like grades, test scores and extracurricular involvement. Looking up a target school’s admissions criteria before applying can clarify exactly what that school rewards.

Parents and educators can help by steering conversations toward building a genuinely strong academic and activity record instead. Parents can ask admissions offices directly how decisions are made. Meanwhile, educators can use advising sessions to highlight the merit-based achievements a student has already earned.

3. The Common Application Gets a Major Makeover

The 2025-2026 Common Application includes several specific updates that students, parents and educators should understand before applications open:

• A redesigned dashboard with progress indicators: Returning students should know that several sections, including Activities, Writing and any college-specific questions, do not carry over from a previous account. Parents and educators helping with more than one application can use the indicators to confirm which sections still need attention.
• A new required “Responsibilities and Circumstances” question: This Activities section addition covers household responsibilities and personal circumstances. Students should document commitments, such as caregiving or work, that shaped their paths. Parents and educators can help by naming responsibilities a student may overlook.
• A renamed “Challenges and Circumstances” question: This question now covers any current challenge a student wants to explain, so students should avoid recycling an outdated pandemic-era response. Talking through which present-day circumstance feels most worth sharing, whether with a parent or a school counselor, can help a student settle on a stronger topic than starting from scratch.
• A shorter “Additional Information” section: The word limit dropped from 650 words to 300, pushing students toward tighter writing. Prioritizing relevant context is, therefore, essential under the new limit. Reading a draft aloud together is one way for a parent or teacher to catch repeated information before it eats into the shorter word count.

4. Competency-Based Education Is Gaining Ground With Colleges

Perhaps in recognizing that personalized learning supports a student’s pace, education professionals are placing more weight on competency-based learning. As a result, they are evaluating applicants on skills and real-world readiness alongside traditional grades. This shift favors students who can demonstrate mastery of a subject over time spent in a classroom.

Students can respond by keeping a running record of abilities gained through projects, jobs, internships or independent study. Parents can encourage reflection on these experiences so a student feels ready to describe them clearly in an application. Lesson plans that leave room for self-directed projects, paired with recommendation letters that highlight specific, demonstrated strengths, give educators an easy way to reinforce this type of evaluation.

5. More Students Are Choosing the Community College Path

Among all types of institutions, community colleges posted the largest enrollment growth from spring 2025 to spring 2026, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Students should know that starting at a community college no longer carries the stigma it once did. A four-year degree remains just as attainable by transferring in later.

Educators and counselors can bring up community college early in advising conversations to help students view it as a legitimate way to begin their degree. With U.S. colleges costing an average of $39,406 per student annually, rising costs may be a factor behind this trend. Parents may redirect the money saved toward test preparation or a stronger finish at a four-year school.

Staying Confident Through These Changes

Despite these shifts, the fundamentals of a strong college application have not changed. Authenticity, thorough preparation and a willingness to advocate for oneself still carry students through each stage of this process. Approaching this cycle with a clear plan, rather than anxiety, puts students, parents and educators in the best position to navigate what comes next.