Different Types of Admissions Plans

When the time arrives to apply to a college or university, students will find that institutions offer a number of plans for the submission applications.

Review and consider all admission plan options. Consult with your School Counselor or the Admission Counselor at the specific college if you have any concerns or questions.

EARLY ACTION/NOTIFICATION:

Early action/early notification is an option for students to apply and hear back on an expedited timeline and learn of an institution’s admission decision early in the Senior year. Basically, a student submits their application and materials earlier and receives a decision earlier than a regular or rolling application. Please note that not every school offers Early Action/Early Notification.

The concern with Early Action/Notification may be that the student can be denied admission unless the information submitted (mostly Junior year grades and test scores) is highly competitive and clearly meets admission standards. In other words, the options under Early Action/Notification are admit, defer, or deny. It also requires a student to submit their application early in the fall before many students have narrowed down their lists.

EARLY DECISION:

This plan was created to help the informed and committed student apply to the institution that he/she had identified as a first choice. For the student who was engaged in quality exploration and arrived at a sound decision, this is an excellent plan. It has the benefit of bringing closure to one’s personal application activity early in the senior year.

This plan, however, places certain restrictions on the student. Under the Early Decision plan, the student agrees to abide by the rules of the plan, have only one Early Decision application active at a given time and commits him/herself to enrolling at the college or university if admitted and the financial aid awarded (if required) is adequate. Under Early Decision, a student may be admitted or may be told that the decision is deferred until more information (i.e. – mid-year grades, senior test scores, etc.) is received.

Typically, the deadline for Early Decision applications ranges from November 1^st – December 1^st, but students are encouraged to research their specific college choice to know and understand the school’s requirements.

ROLLING ADMISSION:

The colleges and universities that review student applications as they are received and make immediate admission decisions use what is called a “rolling admission” plan. Institutions that receive a larger number of applications use this approach simply to manage the volume of applications. Student notification of the admission decision can usually be expected in three to four weeks following application, but it could be longer depending on the college.

Students that apply to a college under a rolling admissions plan can apply to other colleges and consider all offers of admission and financial aid before being required to declare their institution to enroll or file the required admission and housing deposits. We recommend students apply sooner rather than later to rolling admissions schools as your chances are better the earlier you apply.

REGULAR ADMISSION:

The Regular Admission cycle has application deadlines typically set for anywhere from early January through late February. Admission officers work diligently to review applications and get offers of admission out to students by mid-March or the beginning of April at the latest. The decision to accept or reject an offer of admission is then up to the students.

Don’t succumb to any pressure (real or imagined) to prepare and file a college application before you have engaged in good exploration and identified the college or colleges that are best for you. This may not happen until you are well into your Senior year.