@Trixy34 – you could still apply to as many colleges as you want – just have to choose the 10 to do under the Common App. So it takes more effort to apply to more than 10 which means fewer would.
@OHMomof2 – agreed it ends up in a wash in terms of acceptance vs. yield – but all the collective effort from students submitting so many and colleges reviewing all those applications seems more than needed. Students would have to make more true choices before applying and colleges would have more time to do more robust reviews…
Agree the low-income and “I need $$ for college even if I’m not low-income” is tricky. I’d be in favor of wavier for low-income (household less than $80k?). Higher income students looking for money could still apply to more than 10 – just not through Common App.