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Issue #1 — Student linked the wrong Common App account
Students must be careful when linking Cialfo and Common App. Linking the wrong account happens when a student already has a Common App account but does not enter that email address into the Recommendations section of Cialfo.
Check for this by going to cDocs > Documents and using the CA & FERPA filter to sort for Unanswered items. This can also be verified in the student's cDocs Profile under "Documents" FERPA status.
Step 1: Ask the student to check the Education section of their Common App and ensure the correct school name and CEEB code is listed.
Step 2: Ask the student to check their Common App and confirm they completed the FERPA.
If the student has not answered the FERPA, ask them to do so — it should update within 4 hours in Cialfo. If the student has completed the FERPA but Cialfo still shows it as unanswered, verify that the student's Common App email and CA ID match what is listed in the Recommendations section of their Cialfo account. If they do not match, the student has linked a second or wrong Common App account.
Solution: Students should use the Common App account linked in Cialfo to apply to Common App colleges. If they cannot use that account AND documents have not been sent, contact the Cialfo team to request unlinking. Provide: (1) School Name, (2) Student Full Name, (3) CA ID linked in Cialfo, (4) CA Email linked in Cialfo. Counselors can also initiate the unlink from their side.
Issue #2 — Student does not see the "Link Account" button
This may be due to 2 reasons:
The student previously linked their Cialfo and Common App accounts before this year's application cycle starting in August — including students reapplying or who transferred between Cialfo schools.
Common App forms were prepared for these students before this year's application cycle.
To allow students to link their accounts:
Step 1: On cDocs, find the student. For deactivated students, reactivate them first.
Step 2: Click the student — you should see an orange heading with the button "Enable Sending". Click it.
Note: Clicking "Enable Sending" will: (1) Reset the student's linking status, (2) Keep all previously prepared Common App forms, (3) Reset all previously sent document statuses (including Parchment and Mail). Download documents via "Bundle" first if you need a record of previous statuses.
Issue #3 — Teacher/counselor completed CA form but account shows "Not Linked"
This occurs when a student has invited the teacher directly through Common App, blocking Cialfo's document-sending integration. Avoid sending any documents from this teacher until resolved.
Option 1: Have the student log into Common App > My Colleges > for each college, check if the teacher has been invited and remove them. This should resolve the issue.
Option 2: Contact Common App Recommender Support and ask them to remove the teacher or counselor email from their recommender system.
Issue #4 — Recommender name shows differently on Common App
The recommendation is processed and sent directly to the university. A name mismatch does not prevent sending. The name shown is determined by the Common App database. The recommendation has been successfully delivered — the student or counselor can contact Common App to highlight the mismatch if needed.
Issue #5 — School in Submissions tab not in student's Common App college list
The message "You cannot send documents to this university because it's not in the Student's Common App College List" means the student must add the school to their Common App > My Colleges list. Once added, the student's cDocs Submissions tab will update (allow up to 4 hours for sync, or click the manual Sync button).
Issue #6 — Sending documents for transfer students via cDocs
For transfer students, counselors can send documents via cDocs only for universities that accept Parchment as a delivery method. For universities that only accept Common App, students should invite recommenders directly through Common App.
Important: provide an alternate email for transfer students — using the same email as their Cialfo account will result in an error. Common App currently does not support transfer students in their integrations with partners like Cialfo.
Issue #7 — CA sync not working even though student profile matches
This is a less common but distinct scenario from Issue #1. The student's Common App email and CAID match what is in Cialfo, the CEEB code is correct, but colleges are still not syncing from Common App to cDocs.
Step 1: Confirm the student has actually added colleges to their Common App > My Colleges list
Step 2: Click the manual Sync button on the student's cDocs Documents tab. Automatic sync runs every 4 hours; the manual sync forces an immediate update.
Step 3: Confirm in Account > Configure > cDocs Preferences that Common App syncing is enabled for the school. If it is not enabled, colleges must be added manually to the student's Applying List.
Step 4: Confirm the student's Application Year in their Cialfo Profile > Application Details matches the current cycle (e.g., 2025 for the 2025–2026 cycle). An incorrect application year will prevent sync.
Step 5: If the above steps are complete and sync still fails after 4 hours, contact Cialfo support via Chat with Cialfo with: student name, CAID, school name, and a screenshot of the cDocs Submissions page.
Issue #8 — Switching of delivery portals to submit applications
If a student has already submitted an application and documents via Common App but needs to switch to Parchment for the same university (or vice versa), note the following:
You cannot recall or undo documents already sent via Common App. Once sent under the "One and Done" policy, those documents are delivered
If you need to send an updated or corrected document to a university after initial CA sending, use the Optional Report to send an updated transcript, or contact the university's admissions office directly for alternatives.
There are a few cases where the university reaches out to the student that they haven't received the documents though it has been sent successfully through Cialfo. As this is specifically for UIUC, please contact live support, share the screenshot of the email received from the university and the support agent will help in sending the documents through parchment from the backend.
Issue #9 — Fee waiver not appearing or not applying on Common App
Common App fee waivers are handled directly by Common App, not Cialfo. However, Cialfo counselors can support students through this process:
Fee waiver eligibility is determined by Common App based on the student's responses in the Common App profile. Students should complete the Common App profile, the fee waiver option appears automatically if they qualify.
Counselor fee waiver approval: For schools where the counselor must approve the fee waiver, the counselor will see a notification in their Common App Counselor account. This is actioned in Common App directly, not in Cialfo.
Fee waiver not appearing: If a student believes they qualify but does not see the option, ask them to check their Common App profile responses are complete and accurate, then contact Common App support directly.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out via the Chat with Cialfo feature.