Intro to College Admission

Schools with rolling admissions allow students to apply at any point throughout the application period year and get a decision back soon after submitting their application. It is still advisable to apply early on and stay on top of the final deadline to apply for your desired semester. This is a non-binding application meaning students can choose whether or not to attend the university if accepted. Large public state universities such as FIU and UCF have rolling admissions.

Schools offering this type of admissions prioritize students who turn in their application before or on the application priority deadline. Students who apply by the deadline have higher chances of getting accepted since more spots are still available. Students applying after the deadline are not given priority and are accepted based on availability. Priority application deadlines tend to be from October to December, but check each school's specific deadline on their website. This is a non-binding application meaning students can choose whether or not to attend the university if accepted. In-state public universities like UF and FSU have priority admissions.

Early decision is a form of admission mainly common in private universities. Early decision is a binding contract between you and the school stating that if you are accepted you must attend the school. You should only apply early decision to a school where you are certain you would want to go. Keep in mind that you are accepting your spot in this school if accepted without knowing your financial aid status beforehand. Early decision application deadlines tend to be in November and decisions come out in December / January. Some schools also offer a second round of early decisions applicants with the deadline in January and decisions coming out in February. Programs such as Questbridge and Posse use this application method, as well as private universities nationwide.

Early action is a form of admission also common in private universities. This method allows you to apply early to certain schools (deadline is generally in November) and receive a decision from the school early on (in December or January). Early action is NOT binding, meaning you can choose whether or not to attend the university if accepted. This gives you time to wait to hear back from other schools, as well as obtain your financial aid package before making your final decision. Some universities may offer restrictive early action or single choice early action, limiting you in the number of schools you can apply early action.

This is a non-binding application meaning students can choose whether or not to attend the university if accepted. Students can apply before the regular decision deadline, which tends to be later (January / February). Check each specific school's website for their deadlines. Both private and public schools may offer this method of applying.