Types of Admission
There are five general types of admission, and they can sometimes be confusing: early decision, early action, rolling admission, regular admission, and deferred admission.
- Early Decision. Early decision is a binding agreement between you and the college to which you have applied. If you are accepted to that school, you must attend there. Obviously, you should only apply early decision if you are certain you want to attend that school. You can apply to only one college early decision. However, you can apply to other colleges under different admission plans (e.g., rolling admission), but you must withdraw those applications if you are admitted to your early decision school. The application for early decision is usually due by early November, and you will likely receive your admission decision (admitted, denied, or deferred) by mid-December. Some colleges have early decision I and II, so watch for those dates. A few colleges, such as Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Virginia, have eliminated early decision. There is speculation whether other colleges will follow suit.
Does applying early decision increase your chances of admission? It depends on the school. If you are considering applying to a school early decision, ask the school what percent of students are admitted early and compare this statistic to the regular admission pool. Also ask about the differences in the academic strength of each pool. Early decision acceptance rates may appear higher than regular decision rates if the school uses the early admission process to admit a large number of athletes, children of alumni, or other candidates who receive preferential treatment. Early decision is recommended for those students who have researched colleges and universities and who have a clear first choice. Remember, however, that a lot of maturing goes on during your senior year and your preferences may change.
If you apply to a college early decision, you will be accepted, deferred, or rejected. If you are deferred, you will then be re-evaluated with the regular decision pool. You can increase your chances of admission by continuing to show interest in the school. Keep the school informed about any awards received or accomplishments you have achieved since you submitted your application. - Early Action. Early action allows a student to apply to a college or university by a specific deadline, but the student does not need to commit if accepted. Even if you are admitted, you can still apply to other schools and to ultimately choose another school.
One caveat - Restrictive Early Action. Some schools have restrictive early action programs. Yale and Stanford refer to this as Single Choice Early Action. If you apply early to these schools, you may not apply early decision or early action to any other school.
Early action is called "student-friendly" because the college commits to you, but you don't need to commit to the college right away. You may wait to respond to the school by May 1, the "national reply date."
Who should apply early decision or early action? One advantage of applying early decision or early action is that, if accepted, you only have to file one application. (Although, in reality, you should begin working on other applications in case you are rejected or deferred from your early decision or early action school.) This reduces stress and time. The option of applying to a college early is intended for:- students who have a clear first choice after going through a thorough college search and visiting the school while it is in session
- students who have completed their standardized testing by the time the application is due and are content with their scores.
- Rolling Admission. Rolling admission means that applications are reviewed and acted upon when they are received on a rolling basis until the freshman class is full. This means you can get an admissions decision as early as November or December. Some popular schools with rolling admission are the University of Michigan, The University of Wisconsin, and Otis College of Art and Design.
- Regular Decision. Students submit an application by a clearly stated deadline and receive a decision within a clearly stated period of time, usually around April 1. Check with each college about its regular decision application and notification dates.
- Deferred Admission. Some schools will accept a student but defer enrollment until the winter or spring semester. Students have the option of waiting until the determined time to enroll at that college, or to attend a community college the first semester to start earning college credit. If you decide on the latter option, make sure the credits you earn will transfer.