The Common Application
The Common Application reported $65.8 million in revenue and $53.1 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $83.55 went to program services, $15.86 to management and general costs and $0.59 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was program service revenue such as fees, sales and contracts: 94.8% of the total. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $854,905 (CEO). 93 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 78% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $53MFor context, the median across 5,499 covered education charities: $85.56 programs, $13.59 management, $0.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $66MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 83.5% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 15.9% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | Not reported | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 94.8% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $854,905 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.61% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 93 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 19.1 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 17 of 17 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseSee schedule ocommon app's mission to advance access, equity, and integrity in the college admissions process has never been more important than it is today. We have several initiatives underway to help more students access, afford, and attain postsecondary opportunities.while 1.5 million students use common app each year to apply for postsecondary opportunities, there is more work to do. Our data show that low-income applicants are still significantly underrepresented in common app's applicant pool, and throughout FY25, we continued to work toward our moonshot of closing the gap in students…
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $810,169 | $0 | $44,736 | $854,905 |
| TREASURER (TO 04/25) & PRESIDENT Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $528,002 | $0 | $53,829 | $581,831 |
| SENIOR VP TECHNOLOGY SERVICES Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $394,317 | $0 | $63,390 | $457,707 |
| SENIOR VP CONSTITUENT ENGAGEMENT Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $402,907 | $0 | $35,743 | $438,650 |
| SENIOR VP PRODUCT STRATEGY Key employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $398,561 | $0 | $35,024 | $433,585 |
| SR VP FINANCE & OPS, TREASURER 04/25 Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $369,543 | $0 | $44,539 | $414,082 |
| BOARD SECRETARY AND SENIOR VP COMMUNICATIONS AND M Officer, 40.00 hrs/week | $348,470 | $0 | $60,306 | $408,776 |
| VP DATA ANALYTICS AND RESEARCH Highest compensated employee, 40.00 hrs/week | $312,048 | $0 | $59,850 | $371,898 |
93 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from The Common Application (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $3.5M (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b17 · 17 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bYes
- Employees Part I, line 5196
- Volunteers Part I, line 6105
Private foundation grants it received
4 private foundations reported grants to The Common Application totaling $838K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from The Common Application's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for The Common Application, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
Share or embed this breakdown
Of every $100 The Common Application spent in FY2025, $83.55 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
Questions people ask
How much of The Common Application's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, The Common Application reported that 83.5% of its $53.1 million in expenses went to program services, 15.9% to management and general and 0.6% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does The Common Application pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation The Common Application reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $854,905, for the role of CEO (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does The Common Application get its money?
Of $65.8 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 0.0% came from contributions and grants and 94.8% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is The Common Application a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 91-2170737 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (509(a)(2))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202523529349301557 · read the filing · XML
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202403559349301200 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202343549349300204 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202213569349300541 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202103559349300140 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202043389349300804 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 91-2170737: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.