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Changing a College’s Application Method

Brad B Updated by Brad B

If your school is integrated with Common App, the application method in Scoir controls two things: how documents get delivered (through Common App, or through Scoir’s traditional delivery) and which system drives that college’s status (for Common App–method colleges, Common App is the source of truth — Start Term + Admission Plan selection in Common App marks it Applying, submission marks it Applied). Changing the method changes both, so it’s worth a moment before you do it.

Start with the right question: why is the method changing?

The student is no longer applying to this college at all → don’t change the method — remove the college in Common App. The sync updates Scoir automatically, everything stays consistent, and there’s nothing to manage manually afterward. Ideally this action always starts with the student in Common App.

The student is still applying, but through a different route (the college’s own portal, another platform) → this is what the method change is for. While it is recommended that the change be initiated by the student removing the college from their Common App list, a counselor can "Remove from Applying" in Scoir and re-apply with the corrected method.

You’re trying to unblock document sending → pause here. If the student has a start term and admission plan selected in Common App but documents still won't send — usually because the FERPA status is wrong or the account connection is broken — changing the submission method treats the symptom and severs that college's sync in the process. Check the root cause first: Troubleshooting FERPA Status in Scoir and Troubleshooting Common App Account Linking cover the usual culprits, and fixing those preserves the sync. If a deadline genuinely can’t wait, the method change works — just make it knowing the consequences below.

What happens when the method changes

Before the student submits:

  • Any documents already sent to Common App for that college no longer appear as sent in Scoir.
  • The college’s requirements list switches to Scoir’s documents, and counselors send through Scoir’s traditional delivery instead.
  • That college stops syncing from Common App — its status is now managed manually in Scoir, and documents for it route outside Common App.

If the method switches back to Common App: The college’s requirements list switches to Scoir’s documents, and counselors send through Scoir’s traditional delivery instead. Once documents are sent via Scoir, they will remain in a sent state even in cases where the method changes back to Common App.

After the student has submitted via Common App: documents sent through Common App stay linked to that application, even if the method is later changed.

The bottom line

Changing a method is reversible and supported — but it’s a deliberate routing decision, not a quick fix. When a student’s plans changed, let Common App lead (remove the college there). When the delivery route genuinely changed, change the method. When something’s broken, troubleshoot before rerouting.

How did we do?

What Syncs Between Common App & Scoir

Common App System Refresh: What to Expect in Scoir

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