Common App Essentials: Courses & Grades
Part 7 of a multi-part series: answering frequent questions about completing the Common App.
Courses & Grades
In the ‘Courses and Grades’ section of the Common App you’ll be asked to provide information about the courses you took during high school and what credits and grades you received.
If you are required to complete this section, it should take you about 30min.
The information you’ll need is found on your transcript, which you should get a copy of from your high school counsellor. You don’t want to be guessing - refer to your transcript when completing this section.
How Colleges Know Your High School Grades
There are three ways that colleges and universities know what courses you took during high school and what grades you received in those courses.
Official Transcript
Your high school counsellor sends an official copy of your transcript directly to the colleges and universities where you’ve applied.
You won’t enter any course or grade info into the Common App.
This is the most common way schools receive your course list and grades.
SRAR or SSAR (Self-Reported Academic Record)
SRAR is a different app - outside of the Common App - that some schools use to obtain high school grades and courses.
You create a separate account, and enter your high school courses and grades via the SRAR website. Colleges will “pull” the needed info from SRAR.
While the list of schools that require SRAR is small, it does include many popular (and large) state universities such as Florida State University, Clemson University, Penn State University, and the University of Oregon.
Common App Self-Reported Courses & Grades
The section of the Common App we’re discussing in this blog.
How To Complete the Courses & Grades Section
First, know that this section will only appear in your Common App menu if one of the colleges you're applying to requires it.
Here’s how to tell if you need to complete this section -
STEP #1 - Use the ‘College Search’ tab to find each college you want to apply to. Type the name or use ‘More Filters’ to access advanced search.
STEP #2 - Add the college to your ‘My Colleges’ list. Click the ‘+ Add’ button.
STEP #3 - Ensure the college now shows up in your ‘My Colleges’ list.
STEP #4 - Look for the ‘Courses & Grades’ section on the ‘Common App’ tab.
Second, refer to your *official transcript* when completing this section.
The important points -
Enter course names and grades exactly as they appear on your transcript.
Enter grades for 9th, 10th, and 11th years. Only enter 12th year grades if these appear on your transcript (e.g. if you are applying in the spring of your senior year, and so your transcript shows 12th year grades for the completed fall semester).
If your transcript does not show a final grade for a course, leave it blank.
You can enter college courses you took during high school that appear on your transcript. Select Dual Enrollment from the course level drop-down.
You can also enter high-school level courses you took in 8th grade (e.g. Algebra or the first year of a language like Spanish or French) and summer-school courses in the ‘Other Courses’ section. But… only enter this information if it appears on your transcript.
Use the tutorial to avoid common mistakes!!!
Common Questions About Courses & Grades
How important is the ‘Courses & Grades’ section?
Very important! The top criteria used for college admissions is high school grades and the strength of your high school classes. Get a copy of your high school transcript from your counsellor and enter all course names and grades exactly as they appear (the information you enter will be used by admissions officers to calculate your GPA). You want to accurately represent the work you’ve done in the classroom to prepare for college.
If I am self-reporting grades in the Common App (or SRAR), does that mean colleges and universities won’t need my official transcript?
All schools will eventually require an official high school transcript, but some allow you to self-report your courses and grades during the application process. In these cases, the official transcript is only needed if you're accepted and decide to enrol. Why do they do this? Having students enter their own information saves admissions teams time and effort. High school transcripts vary, and converting them into a standardised format takes work. By entering your courses and grades in the Common App, you're helping admissions officers review your academic record more efficiently.
What’s the difference between the ‘Current or Most Recent Year Courses’ in the Education section of the Common App and the ‘Courses & Grades’ section?
The former is required for all students, the latter is required just for those students who are applying to colleges or universities that are requesting self-reported grades. Why? Most high school students will apply to college during the fall of their senior year, before students receive first semester grades. But colleges do want to know what courses students are taking senior year - it’s a sign of continuation of academic readiness and rigour. Therefore, the Common App asks all applicants to enter the courses they’re taking senior year in the Education section of the app. The latter section, ‘Courses & Grades’, is only used by students who are applying to certain colleges… ones that ask the student to self-report grades. And, this information is only added for senior year courses if the student has received first-semester grades (if they haven’t the 12th year grades are left blank).