ADMISSIONS TIMELINES
There are four primary types of admissions processes. Some require a commitment from the student, and others do not. Deadlines range from October to May, depending on the college or the application process. Each is outlined below.
Regular Decision
Students who do not have a clear first choice college typically apply under Regular Decision (RD) plans. Under RD, the university sets an application deadline (typically between January 1 and March 15), and replies to all applicants at the same time, roughly the middle of March. At that point, students are granted until May 1 to decide which university they will attend.
Rolling Admissions
Under Rolling Admissions, the university admissions office makes decisions on applications as they are submitted, and notifies students of their decisions on a “rolling” basis. Students may apply as early as September, and may hear within one month of submitting the application. Students are typically allowed until May 1 to decide which university they will attend.
Early Action
When a student applies through an Early Action (EA) process, the student must submit the application for an early deadline (usually November 1 or 15). Decisions are mailed to students at around December 15. This allows students the opportunity to hear earlier, and to decide whether they want to submit more application under RD plans. The student is allowed until May 1 to decide which university they will attend.
Some universities subscribe to a plan called Early Action Single Choice. Students applying under this type of plan follow the same procedure, but are not allowed to submit other Early Action or Early Decision applications. Students admitted under EA Single Choice are still allowed until May 1 to make a decision.
Early Decision
The most restrictive process is called Early Decision (ED). Under ED, students make a commitment to the university to which they apply. The deadline is typically November 1 or 15, and students admitted under ED are required to attend that university. Students may not apply to more than one university under ED plans, and is some cases (see individual colleges for details), students may not be allowed to submit EA applications either.
The benefit of ED plans is that students complete their process as early as December. The downside is that students must make all of their decisions early in the process, and are “locked in” to that university if they are admitted.
A number of colleges have created nuances to the ED process, including Early Decision 2, which is also binding, but may have a later deadline.