College Admissions Options
Remember that with ANY of the following application types, it is important to be mindful of all dates and deadlines to ensure that your application is accepted.
Early Action
Early admissions programs, which do not ask applicants to commit to attending if accepted, are generally known as Early Action (EA) programs. They give students the benefits of early notification without the obligations of Early Decision, which will be discussed next. Even if accepted, students are free to apply to other colleges and to compare financial aid offers.
Application deadlines for Early Action usually start in October and end in December.
Single Choice Early Action
Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) programs specifically require students not to make EA applications to other colleges, although they are free to apply elsewhere under the regular admissions round.
Application deadlines for Early Action usually start in October and end in December.
Single Choice Early Action
Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) programs specifically require students not to make EA applications to other colleges, although they are free to apply elsewhere under the regular admissions round.
Early Decision
Early decision applicants are expected to submit only ONE early decision application to ONE school. You can submit applications to other colleges under normal application procedures, but agree that you will withdraw all those applications if accepted to the early decision school.
It is not an obligation to be taken lightly, since colleges honor one another's binding decisions. If you reconsider and back out of an early decision obligation to one school, it is unlikely that another competitive school will accept you. Students can seek release from an early decision obligation on the grounds of financial hardship, if the financial aid package offered is genuinely inadequate; however, the burden of proof in these cases is on the student. (An important drawback to early decision admissions is that they leave applicants with no leverage to negotiate a better financial aid package – the school knows you can't go anywhere else.)
Application deadlines for Early Decision usually start in October and end in December.
It is not an obligation to be taken lightly, since colleges honor one another's binding decisions. If you reconsider and back out of an early decision obligation to one school, it is unlikely that another competitive school will accept you. Students can seek release from an early decision obligation on the grounds of financial hardship, if the financial aid package offered is genuinely inadequate; however, the burden of proof in these cases is on the student. (An important drawback to early decision admissions is that they leave applicants with no leverage to negotiate a better financial aid package – the school knows you can't go anywhere else.)
Application deadlines for Early Decision usually start in October and end in December.
Regular Admissions
Colleges using this plan generally have an application deadline that falls somewhere between January and April and notify all of the applicants at the same time.
Rolling Admissions
Colleges that use rolling admissions accept applications until they’ve filled all the spots in their freshman class. Decisions are then made on a case by case basis and you’ll usually hear back within 4 to 8 weeks. However, some colleges accept applications under a rolling-admission policy and then send out decisions all at once. The earlier you apply, the better your chances may be of being accepted. Procrastinators beware! There is a lot of truth to that old saying, "If you snooze, you lose!"
Applying to a school with rolling admissions late in the game can also impact your financial aid offer. A school’s admission and aid policies are not one and the same. In fact, they usually come from offices that are nowhere near one another. If you’re accepted after the free money has been doled out, you could be out of luck and limited to taking out loans.
Applying to a school with rolling admissions late in the game can also impact your financial aid offer. A school’s admission and aid policies are not one and the same. In fact, they usually come from offices that are nowhere near one another. If you’re accepted after the free money has been doled out, you could be out of luck and limited to taking out loans.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING ANY OF THE INFORMATION PRESENTED, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR!