The Four Kinds of College Admissions Processes

Rolling admissions. Early action. Early decision. Regular decision. When you fill out your college applications, the schools of your choice will use one or more of these deadlines to give you a timeline of when you'll get your decision letter. What do those terms mean and how do they affect your application process?

Rolling admissions means that there is either no application deadline or a later than normal deadline to submit your application. Your application is reviewed when all the materials are received and you will hear an answer in 2-4 weeks. Colleges regularly send out decisions letters throughout the several months of the process and applications are accepted until programs and classes are full.

If you apply early action, you apply to a school with an earlier than normal deadline, usually November or December. It is best to apply for early action if you are strongly interested in a school and have a similar profile to currently enrolled students.

Unlike early deicsion, early action does not require you to commit yourself to attending upon acceptance. You can still apply to other schools and review their financial aid packages, and then let the school of your choice know your decision in April or May.

Early decision is the binding application. You can only apply to one school early decision and if you are accepted, you must attend that school and withdraw your applications to all other schools. You also have to commit yourself before finding out about the financial aid package. Early decision has many disadvantages and advantages, so don't take this route unless you are absolutely sure of where you want to attend school and know the risks involved.

Regular admission doesn't have any special circumstances attached. You apply to your choice schools by a certain deadline, and then all applications are reviewed at once. You get your decision letter at the same time as thousands of other prospective students, and then send in your acceptance or decline notice by the April or May 1 deadline.

Here are some things to keep in mind when deciding which admissions process is best for you:

Are you absolutely sure of where you want to go to school?

Do you have similar credentials as currently enrolled students?

Do you want to have the application process done and over with as early as possible, or do you want to stagger sending everything in?

How long will it take you to pick the best financial aid package? Do you mind not knowing how much financial aid you are eligible for?

Once you have answered these questions, you will know when and how you should apply to college. This is not a time to be careless, so make sure you really know yourself when figuring out if you should apply early, at a regular deadline, or over a rolling period of time.