Students must be careful and follow directions closely when linking Cialfo and Common App. Linking the wrong/second account happens when a student already has a Common App account and does not enter that email address into the Recommendations section of Cialfo.
It is possible that student overlooked in completing the FERPA in Common App too. Search for these scenarios in your account 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 Common App Account > FERPA status.
Step #1 - Ask the student to check the Education section of their Common App, and make sure the correct school name and CEEB code are listed.
Step #2 - Ask the student to check their Common App, and make sure 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 the FERPA as unanswered, verify that the student's Common App email and CAID match what is listed in the Recommendations section of the student's Cialfo account. If the email and CAID do not match, the student has linked a second or wrong Common App account.
The solution: Students will need to use the Common App account linked in Cialfo to apply to Common App colleges. If for some reason cannot use that account AND documents have not been sent through Cialfo, the student should contact Cialfo or their counselor to see if unlinking their Common App account in Cialfo is possible. If the account can be Unlinked, the counselor only needs to click on the Unlink Account button. Once the account is unlinked, the student can link to the right account again.
Student starting a new application cycle — new Common App account
A common scenario is when a student who applied in a previous cycle (e.g., class of 2025) is now re-applying or a sibling is starting their application, and a new Common App account has been created. The old Common App account will still be paired to the student's Cialfo profile.
In these cases:
If no documents were sent through the old account, the counselor can unlink directly using the Unlink Account button.
If documents were already sent through the old account, contact support before unlinking, as this may affect document history.
Once unlinked, ask the student to re-link using their new Common App email and CAID.
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