Admissions Vocabulary and Procedures
There are a number of procedures that colleges use for admissions purposes. These procedures can vary from college to college, so it is important to find out which procedures refer to you. Below are descriptions of the most common procedures used by colleges.
Regular Admission
▪ Most colleges require applications to be submitted before a specific deadline, at which time the admissions committee begins to consider the credentials of all applicants.
Rolling Admissions
▪ Although each institution may have a final application deadline, when a student will know the status of the application is based on when he/she submitted the application, not the deadline.
▪ Students should prioritize their applications to all rolling admissions colleges, as these colleges begin almost immediately to seat their classes.
Early Decision
▪ A limited number of colleges follow a procedure whereby a student may apply to their first-choice college in September (or early Fall) of their senior year and be notified of their acceptance or rejection in December.
▪ Early decision is binding; you may only apply to one college early decision. Some colleges allow an applicant to file applications with other colleges, but if the application under Early Decision is accepted, all applications to other colleges must be withdrawn.
▪ Candidates who are not accepted under a college's Early Decision plan are usually considered, with the candidate's permission, under the regular admissions procedures after the application deadline.
▪ Be sure to read and understand the terms of this type of application before you submit your application.
Early Action
▪ The Early Action plan used by several of the country's most competitive colleges, allows a student to apply early in the fall of the senior year for consideration based upon work completed through the end of the junior year.
▪ It is similar to Early Decision, but Early Action has one very different feature—it is non-binding. That is, even if accepted, a student who has filed an early action application is free to file applications for admission to other colleges and can typically defer making a commitment to the college until May 1st.
▪ Be sure to read and understand the terms of this type of application before you submit your application.
Candidate's Reply Date Agreement
▪ Many colleges distribute acceptances in early April and have agreed to wait until a prescribed date in May to require an accepted candidate to reply to college offers.
▪ This agreement enables students to wait for replies on most of their applications without feeling that they must commit themselves to one college before knowing all of their options.
Wait List
▪ In addition to accepting and rejecting applicants, many colleges place students on a wait list for admission. In so doing, the college is telling the applicant that there are not enough places on campus for all the qualified students.
▪ After being accepted, some applicants will decide to attend other colleges. The school will then offer their places to students from the wait list. Inevitably, a certain percentage of those originally accepted choose to study elsewhere so that a percentage of those on the waiting list may receive acceptances.
