CompressThis

Compress a PDF for Common App.

Under 2 MB. Your transcript, not a thumbnail.

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Open the tool — drop a PDF, get a smaller one back in seconds.

Compress for Common App

The problem

Common App enforces a 2 MB limit per uploaded document — transcripts, recommendation letters, school reports, mid-year reports. The limit is strict: "File size exceeds the maximum allowed size." Transcripts from school counselor software often export as image-heavy PDFs in the 4–8 MB range. You can't re-request a transcript just because the PDF is too big. And you can't submit a quality-trashed version either — admissions officers will read it.

The fix

CompressThis compresses your PDF to just under 2 MB using Aggressive mode (targeted at 2 MB ceiling) — which resamples embedded images to 800px / 60% JPEG quality. For a typical 4-page transcript, that brings an 8 MB PDF to 1.2–1.8 MB with no visible quality difference at normal reading size. Or use the target-size field and type "1.9 MB" to be safe.

What you get

  • Aggressive mode is built for the 2 MB case — targets that ceiling directly.
  • Transcripts, rec letters, school reports, and score reports all compress well — they're mostly text with light images.
  • "Compress to 1.9 MB" in the target-size box gives you a safe buffer under Common App's limit.
  • No watermark added to the output — admissions officers see a clean document.
  • Files are never stored — your grades and personal details stay on your device.

Questions

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Compress for Common App

Last updated: May 2026

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