Early Decision
Allows high school students to apply very early during senior year, and get a thumbs up or thumbs down before the holidays or soon after. But early decision plans are binding agreements. If accepted, your teen must attend. That means he can still apply to other schools via regular admissions deadlines, but the moment he is accepted to his early decision school, he must withdraw those other applications.
Priority Admissions Selection
Applying early for college means you’ll be among the first round of students considered. So not only will there be more space available for you, you’ll also leave a good impression on the admissions staff by proving you can get your application materials together in a quick and timely fashion
Early Action
You can apply to more than one school as an early action applicant. And once accepted, you can either decide immediately or wait until spring to make a final decision You will usually hear back by December or mid-January about your acceptance.
Regular Deadline
The deadline for regular decision applications is normally between January 1 and February 1, depending on the college. Get the bulk of your essays done and confirm who will write your recommendations in November, so you won’t have a lot of last-minute work to do during the holiday season.
The regular college application deadlines are late enough so that your first semester grades will be looked at. No slacking off – this is a very important semester!
Rolling Admissions
Colleges with rolling admissions begin looking at applications and filling their freshman class as soon as the paperwork begins arriving, sometimes as early as August or September. Students generally receive acceptances or rejections within four to eight weeks of submitting their applications, and in most cases, a decision is not due until spring. Every college differs, of course, so it's important to read the fine print.
Open Admission
A college that has open admissions allows any student with a high school diploma or GED certificate to attend. Open admissions give any student who has completed high school the opportunity to pursue a college degree.
