STARS Self-Reported Transcript (Formerly SRAR/SSAR)

STARS Self-Reported Transcript (Formerly SRAR/SSAR)

STARS, the Self-reported Transcript and Academic Record System, is what used to be called SRAR or SSAR. Common App's November 2025 counselor deck counts 38 colleges using STARS and 77 using Common App's own Courses & Grades in 2025–26. Each college decides which one you fill out, and some use neither.

Most advice about self-reported grades is about speed. The one skill that matters is different: copy your transcript exactly. Do not round, average, weight or "clean" anything, because the official transcript arrives later and has to match. This page shows which system your colleges use, the entry rules four colleges publish, and how to fix a mistake. If your transcript has something a reader could misread, the free Additional Information review checks the note that explains it.

Every Common App and college page quoted below was checked on October 30, 2026. College rules here are each college's own; check your college's page before you enter grades.

STARS, SRAR, SSAR and Courses & Grades: one task, two systems

Common App's 2025 counselor update says: "Some colleges ask students to self-report the grades they’ve earned in the courses they’ve taken. This can be in Common App (Courses & Grades) or through STARS (the Self-reported Transcript and Academic Record System, formerly known as SRAR or SSAR)."

The old names still show up. Florida Atlantic's page says "The STARS— formerly SSAR". Virginia Tech's STARS page tells you to get technical help "through the Help tab on your SRAR".

Which colleges use STARS, and which use Courses & Grades?

Common App publishes two counts, one year apart:

Both systems grew. On the 2026–27 requirements grid ("Updated: 09-25-2026"), our count finds 69 member rows marked Y under Courses & Grades. That is our arithmetic from the grid, which includes colleges outside the US, so it is not directly comparable to Common App's own counts. Rows marked Y include Stanford, Purdue, Carnegie Mellon, Amherst, Loyola Marymount and the University of Oregon. The grid's note reads: "Some colleges require that you self-report your course history and grades with your application submission."

STARS colleges are listed on each college's own page, not on the grid. Four examples:

Oregon shows why you must read each college's page: it uses Courses & Grades for Common App applicants and STARS for everyone else. And if you submit the Common App without completing Courses & Grades, Oregon says "STARS becomes the required method for reporting your academic record."

How to check your own list: open My Colleges in your Common App to see the requirements grid, read each college's "after you apply" page, and watch for a portal email after you submit. Virginia Tech says it sends the portal invitation "within 72 hours".

How to fill it out, field by field

The rules four sources publish agree on the core and differ on details:

Common App's academic record deck adds two rules for Courses & Grades. For dual enrollment: "Only courses receiving high school credit (i.e. appearing on your high school transcript) should be reported in this section." For more than one high school, use "Add Courses from Another Transcript", which works only if you added that school in the Education section. If your school grades on a scale US readers may not know, the grade still goes in exactly as printed; how to explain a grading scale to US colleges covers the context note.

Virginia Tech's list is the most specific on grade format: "Do not change any formatting of your grades or add any weight", "Do not provide grade averages", and "Do not add + or - to letter grades unless they are on your transcript that way."

Our view: copy, do not clean

Our view: enter your transcript line by line, including the bad grade and the course you retook. Do not round a 89.6 or turn a B into a B+.

The basis: Oregon says "If information on the final official high school transcript differs from information provided on the STARS, a student’s admission and scholarship offer could be revoked." Florida Atlantic says "inaccurate information may affect enrollment and scholarship status." And cleaning gains nothing where colleges recalculate: Oregon says its weighted GPA "is recalculated based on a student’s completed coursework", and Florida Atlantic recalculates "your core, weighted GPA".

The countercase: some students cannot copy a transcript because they do not have one in hand. Oregon offers an optional EasyImport tool that fills the record from an uploaded transcript; it says to "Double-check every field for accuracy before you submit an AI-generated STARS." URI fills STARS for you from the official transcript. In both cases your job becomes checking, not typing.

If a grade needs context, such as a semester you missed, the self-reported record is not the place for it. That goes in a short note; see how to explain a grade drop on your application. For what else belongs in that box, see what belongs in Common App Additional Information.

Mistakes after submitting

In STARS: Oregon says "If a student recognizes an error on their STARS, they can update the STARS through their application status portal", and that new grades can be added "until February 15". Other colleges set their own rules; check yours.

In Courses & Grades: it is part of the Common App, so it locks with the application. Oregon's FAQ says "The Common App cannot be updated after submission". Correct a wrong grade by contacting the college; the steps and a short correction email are in can you edit the Common App after submitting.

Either way, the official transcript checks your work. Virginia Tech requires official transcripts "prior to the term of enrollment if an offer of admission is accepted." Florida Atlantic requires them "after high school graduation only". Oregon says "STARS is not the official transcript."

If your STARS shows missing in a portal, see college portal says missing?. Virginia Tech says it typically receives STARS "within 48 hours of submission."

Questions about STARS and self-reported transcripts

Is SRAR the same as STARS?

Yes. Common App calls STARS "formerly known as SRAR or SSAR".

Do I round my grades or GPA on STARS?

No. Virginia Tech says "Do not round your grades", and Oregon says applicants "should not round up grades or GPA."

Do I report a failed or repeated course?

Yes, at the colleges that state a rule. Virginia Tech and Oregon both require repeated and failed courses.

What do I enter for senior-year courses with no grades yet?

Mark them in progress. Virginia Tech has an "In Progress" grade option, and Florida Atlantic asks you to mark 12th-grade courses "in progress".

Do I enter my weighted GPA?

Enter GPA as your transcript reports it. Virginia Tech says to "Enter GPA / Class Rank information as it is reported on your transcript". Oregon calculates its own weighted GPA.

If a college uses STARS, do I still fill out Common App coursework?

At Virginia Tech, yes: "Common App requires the completion of the coursework section but Virginia Tech does not receive or use that information." Check each college's page.

Get a free review of your Additional Information note

Get a free Quick Review of your Additional Information note against GradPilot's Additional Information rubric when your transcript needs context, such as a school change, a repeated course or a grading scale a reader may not know. It reads whether the note gives the reader the context they need and makes the timing of a change clear. Leave STARS itself to your transcript.

Sources

Retrieved October 30, 2026, except where noted.

• Common App, What's new 2025 counselor webinar (2025): STARS formerly SRAR or SSAR; 2024–25 counts.
• Common App, Academic record reporting deck (November 2025): 2025–26 counts; Courses & Grades rules.
• Common App, 2026–27 First-year requirements grid (updated 09-25-2026): Courses & Grades column; our count of 69 rows.
• Virginia Tech, STARS at Virginia Tech and first-year checklist (no year stated).
• University of Oregon, Self-Reported Transcript (STARS) (no year stated), including its FAQ answers.
• Florida Atlantic University, STARS (no year stated).
• University of Rhode Island, First-year admission FAQ (no year stated; the former STARS page redirects here).