Admission Plans

Many private colleges offer students who are keenly interested the opportunity to apply early and receive a decision early, usually in December. Generally there are two approaches: Early Decision and Early Action.

Early Decision

Early Decision programs allow strong students who have made a definite choice of college to apply in October or November of their senior year. Admission under an Early Decision program is a contract to attend that college. Once admitted, a student must withdraw their other applications. Clearly, any student applying Early Decision must be absolutely certain that he or she is making the right choice. Applying Early Decision simply to avoid the anxiety of waiting until April is a big mistake. At some colleges, applying Early Decision may enhance the chances of admission if the candidate has a strong application. However, applying early will not turn an indifferent candidate into a strong one, and such applications may find themselves with early denials rather than early admissions. In most cases, students not admitted early with be deferred and reconsidered with April's applicant pool. Early Decision is not recommended for students with financial needs. We recommend that students should only apply Early Decision if they have not only visited and toured a college campus, but have also attended classes and stayed overnight in the campus housing. This visit gives students a more through understanding of what it is like to live the life of a students on a particular college campus. Students who have never visited a particular college should not consider applying Early Decision to that institution.

Early Action

Early Action is a program for unusually strong candidates who may apply in November/December and receive an admission, denial or deferral in December/January. Students admitted under this program are not committed and may, if they wish, file other applications. Students who are deferred will be considered with the regular applicant pool.

Restrictive Early Action

Some colleges place restrictions on applicants who participate in the Early Action programs, whereby the student in not allowed to apply to other colleges through those institutions' Early Action or Early Decision programs. Be familiar with the policies of the college to which you apply.

Rolling Admission

Rolling Admission programs allow students to apply during a specific application period (generally over the course of several months). The colleges review applications as they are received. Students receive admission decisions throughout the application period. We generally recommend that you apply at the beginning of the application period and not at the end when fewer spaces for acceptance are available.

Important Note:

Unless a student has a very strong record through the end of the junior year, applying early is ill-advised. Most students need the fall of their senior year to present a complete picture to admission committees. Applying Early Decision may restrict your financial aid choices, especially if you prefer to compare aid packages from several schools.