Admissions Deadlines Explained

Even families in the midst of college application season have difficulties understanding all the various admissions deadlines! The process is arguably confusing enough - and then there are varying deadlines, with different pros and cons, and this school is different from that school. Some schools offer early admission options and some do not; some offer rolling admission, and some do not. It’s important that your student does their research to determine what options are available at the colleges on their list and be strategic in their choices!

Early Admission

This is an umbrella term for types of early deadlines. I’m including it here in case you read it elsewhere and get confused between this term and the next two terms. A benefit to applying early admission is that your student will hear back with a decision earlier than if they apply Regular Decision, typically in December. Students can also be deferred into the Regular Decision pool.

Benefits to applying early include reducing stress, more time for decisions (if applying EA), and higher acceptance rates. Yep - acceptance rates trend higher for Early Action and Early Decision applicant pools. Applying early is a win-win for both students and colleges because they get to fill their class faster.

Early Action

Early Action, or EA, is a type of early admission that some schools offer. Early Action is non-binding, meaning if you get accepted, you can make your final decision based on all of your acceptances.  In most cases, EA is non-restrictive, meaning you can apply to multiple colleges EA. You can also apply to colleges during Regular Decision even if admitted EA to a college, or multiple colleges. However, there are restrictive (or “single choice”) EA policies at some colleges, such as Harvard and Stanford. These restrictive Early Action options mean that you cannot apply Early Action to any other college if you apply Early Action to their school. In most cases, students do not need to respond to their EA acceptance until National Decision Day on May 1.

Early Decision

This one is pretty black and white. Early Decision (ED) is BINDING! This means that if your student is accepted, they must attend. While there are exceptions to withdrawal from the contract, students should only apply ED to a college that they are sure they want to attend and are sure they can afford. Some exceptions include situations where the financial aid package offered is lower than expected and the family truly cannot afford to attend. Another situation may be if a family emergency has changed your situation, such as a recent death in the family or an accident. The reason for withdrawal from the agreement must be legitimate. Students are encouraged to work out financial issues with the financial aid office and preferably should determine if the school is affordable before applying ED.  While the Early Decision contract is not legally binding, it is not something to be taken lightly. If withdrawing for an unjustified reason, the ED school could inform other colleges you’ve applied to - and as all colleges take this seriously, they could withdraw your application from the pool due to your decision to withdraw ED at another college.

Because of the binding contract, students can only apply Early Decision to one college.

Regular Decision

Regular Decision is exactly what it sounds like! The deadline for RD is usually in January or February and students can expect to hear back in March or April. They still usually need to make a decision by National Decision Day on May 1. Some students may be deferred from the early applicant pool to the RD applicant pool. This means they applied early, but maybe weren’t strong enough to be admitted against other applicants. They weren’t denied, but admissions officers will take another look at their application in the RD pool. From here, they will be on the RD timeline and can be accepted, rejected, or waitlisted.

Rolling Admission

When a school operates on a Rolling Admission timeline, it means they read your application within a few weeks of receiving it, and students can expect to hear back as soon as they’ve made a decision. Your student can apply in August, for example, and hear back in September. They can apply in September, and hear back in October or November - and so on. There’s no waiting for any specified timeline.

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If you take anything away from this, please encourage your student to do research on the colleges on their list and make a plan! Strategy can really help students make the most of their applications and ensure the best possible outcome.