How to submit the school optional report

 

School optional report (SOR)

The optional report is used to update grades or send corrections at any point in the current application cycle, after the initial School Report has been submitted. The School Optional Report is not a substitute for the Midyear or Final report.

The option to send a second School Optional Report has been available since the previous cycle 2021-22, should further corrections be needed.

• Click on the Document Sending tab on the left hand side
• Search for the relevant student and click their name

• Click on Add Documents: you may need to attach a corrected Transcript or a Change Explanation for Common App Reports (a document which explains any change in your evaluation of the student or their senior year courses), so upload these as a PDF before moving on to complete the actual School Optional Report.

• After clicking Add Documents, select the relevant document type, give it a name that will make it clearly identifiable to you - e.g. "Transcript Correction 6 November", choose the PDF file and click Upload.

• Next, click 'Common App' and then click on the 'School Optional Report'

• Select the relevant options and ensure you select the correct PDF files. Sections will expand depending on your selections.

• Press 'Save'. It will be ready to send when the bubble has changed from a red dotted line to a grey one, and will be ready to send by clicking on the checkbox, and then the Send button.

 

• NOTES on the Form Transcripts section:
  • You'll find the question: "Please indicate the most recent grades included on the transcript accompanying this form". Make sure to update this if you are submitting a transcript different from the one previously sent with the school report or the school midyear report.

 

 

Points to note 

Attaching the correct files:

• If you tick the checkbox for any of the following question, you will need to attach the updated Transcript:

 

• For the question: "Please indicate the most recent grades included on the transcript accompanying this form". Make sure to update this if you are submitting a transcript different from the one previously sent with the school report or the school midyear report.
• If you tick the checkbox for any of the following questions, you will need to attach the Change Explanation for Common App Reports (CEFCAR):

• Give files a name that makes them easy to identify. If you need to update several transcript or explanation documents, you may need to combine the PDFs into one single file. We recommend www.ilovepdf.com for this.

Restrictions and requirements:

• Similar to the School Report, the accompanying documents (e.g., school profile, transcripts, change explanation) are sent bundled WITH the School Optional Report. They don't have separate checkboxes for sending.
• The Optional Report is like the school report and the counselor recommendation in that it is a standard document submitted to all universities. You CANNOT send different versions to different universities. For more, see the CommonApp help center here. 
• "Important note: The Common App Report system is a one-and-done process. That means that once you submit a form, it’s sent to all the colleges you’re assigned to. That’s why it’s important not to customize your forms for a specific institution."
• The Optional Report can only be submitted TWICE (for example, for the same student you can use the optional report to correct something from the school report, and later use another optional report to correct something from the mid year report).
• Similar to the School Report, it will say 'submitted' for the Optional Report on the student's Common App under the 'Recommenders and FERPA' section for any university.
• Nothing can be submitted after the School Final Report has been sent, including the School Optional Report.