Common App for STEM Applicants: How to Stand Out in Competitive Engineering and Science Programs STEM applicants are facing the toughest college admissions landscape in recent memory. As of the 2025–26 cycle, Common App applicants had submitted over 9.4 million applications to 916+ member institutions by March 1, 2026, up 5% year-over-year, with the average student now applying to 6.59 schools instead of the roughly 6.4 seen a year earlier. That surge is not evenly spread — i