The Standard Application Online (SAO)
Streamline the Process
When the school application process is confusing, we create barriers to educational opportunity. Simplifying the application process allows enrollment leaders to focus on making the right match between school and applicant.
The Enrollment Management Association created the Standard Application Online to ease the application process for students and schools. It allows families to use a single website to submit applications to a variety of independent schools that align with their interests, while schools can collect all information including biographic information, teacher recommendations, and transcripts online with the opportunity to customize the application with their own supplement.
Students have submitted more than 200,000 applications to independent schools around the world using the Standard Application Online. There is an average 20% growth in applications for schools who adopt the SAO.
SAO User Reports
Sample Forms
Parent Evaluation Form Sample (PK-5)
Student Evaluation Form Sample (PK-1)
Student Evaluation Form Sample (2-5)
Personal Recommendation Form Sample
English Recommendation Form Sample
Principal Recommendation Form Sample
Official School Report Transcript
Math Recommendation Form Sample
Any Teacher Recommendation Form Sample
The SAO Affiliate Member Program
Your schools are different. Your application doesn't need to be.
In an effort to make the SAO more accessible, we created an SAO Affiliate Member status for participating associations. Schools that are members of participating associations but not currently members of EMA have access to the SAO through this program. The association must first agree to participate in the SAO Affiliate Member program.
Participating regional organizations may choose to adopt the SAO for their members, providing them access to the EMA's gold-standard SAO online application platform, including rich regional data. This affiliate EMA membership level comes at no cost to association schools because our intent is to support the growth of independent school enrollment.