The college application process can be stressful for parents and students, with multiple deadlines and the anxiety of waiting on decisions.
While many schools offer early decision and early action in addition to regular admissions, some offer rolling admissions. This is where colleges evaluate applications as they receive them, then release admissions decisions accordingly as opposed to doing so all at once.
Of the ranked National Universities that submitted data to U.S. News in an annual survey, 143 offered rolling admissions in fall of 2023.
As is generally the case in college admissions, experts say the earlier students apply, the better. Because schools with rolling admissions make decisions regularly as they evaluate applications, there’s also a chance that applicants can get an admissions decision sooner.
“It always seems to take the edge off when a client has an offer of admission in their pocket as they wait to hear from other schools,” Angela Warfield, principal consultant and founder of admissions consulting firm Compass Academics, wrote in an email. “This is a huge boost to their self-confidence and general mental health during an extremely stressful wait-and-see time.”
[Read: A Complete Guide to the College Application Process.]
Getting accepted to a college early typically means more flexibility for students, and schools with rolling admissions and open seats into spring of senior year can be great last-minute options or fall-back plans for students who missed other, more strict deadlines. Here’s what to know about applying to schools with rolling admissions.
Do Colleges With Rolling Admissions Have Deadlines?
Matt Woodworth, founder of college admissions consulting company Woodworth Prep, says the biggest question he gets from students about rolling admissions is when to submit an application.
While rolling admissions decisions don’t operate on strict deadlines like other types of admissions, many schools have priority dates for submitting application information. Of the 143 U.S. News-ranked schools that offered rolling admissions, 86 have priority dates. The dates vary, with some in early November and others in the spring toward the end of the school year.
“Priority dates can give a student an advantage in consideration for certain programs, financial aid or scholarships, and housing,” Katie Burns, premiere college admissions counselor at admissions consulting company IvyWise, wrote in an email. “Some programs within a school with rolling (admissions) may have a priority deadline. Nursing is a common major with a priority deadline for rolling schools as nursing programs fill up very quickly.”
Applicants should also review other types of deadlines, since schools may dole out other resources such as financial aid or housing first come, first served.
For example, Michigan Technological University has an official priority date of Jan. 15, but the admissions office also treats Nov. 1 as a priority date, says Beth Fitzpatrick, the school’s director of admissions. That’s mainly because the school’s largest scholarship deadline is Nov. 1, and students need to have at least applied to the school in order to apply for that scholarship, she says.
“Rolling admissions gives them options, but they really should look at what those priority deadlines are and what they mean,” she says. “For us, it doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of housing options or anything like that, but it might mean they missed a scholarship deadline.”
Schools may also have a priority date for filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, experts say. However, with that date moving from October to December in 2023, students who apply before then will receive their financial award package later than usual, which may affect their decision, Fitzpatrick says.
[What’s New on the 2023-2024 FAFSA]
“We’ll make a decision on students early, but the student doesn’t need to make their decision,” she says. “We really recommend waiting until you see your financial aid. Then, if you have questions, we’ll walk you through it and talk through options.”
A college’s website usually has deadline information and indicates if it has rolling admission, experts say. If prospective students can’t find what they need there, they should contact the admissions office.
When Is the Best Time to Apply to College Under Rolling Admissions?
Timing is important when applying to schools with rolling admissions. As classes fill up, fewer spots remain. Experts stress applying early when possible.
“The highest your chances are going to get is if you apply right at the beginning,” Woodworth says. “Then the spaces are given out on an availability basis, so the longer you wait the more your chances are going to decrease.”
However, not every school is as stringent in terms of how many students they admit, and some don’t have a hard cutoff for when they’ll stop accepting applications. Michigan Tech has priority dates but still accepts applications throughout the year and admits students late in the admissions cycle.
“I think families are worried that we’re going to run out of spaces if they don’t apply by then,” she says. “We’re not really necessarily about spaces. If you’re a fit for Michigan Tech and you meet our criteria, you’re going to be accepted.”
Her office knows that some applicants apply late for a variety of reasons, she says. Some may decide at the last minute that they want to go to college, while others may have been denied or waitlisted by another.
“We also just have students who discover us later in the cycle, and we don’t want them to feel like their options are closed,” she says.
Michigan Tech also offers in-person and virtual events for admitted students only, so the earlier students apply, the earlier they are likely to be admitted, which would allow them to attend more of those events, Fitzpatrick says.
Students should also pay attention to whether the school they’re applying to is test-optional, Woodworth says. Students who are planning to use their ACT or SAT score in their college application but still reach an early priority date for rolling admissions should plan to take their tests and have scores in hand by the start of their senior year.
But students shouldn’t sacrifice quality. While they may want to submit their application by a priority date, they should remember that such dates are not hard deadlines, Woodworth says. It’s worth taking a little extra time to proofread the application and prevent glaring mistakes, he says.
[READ: How Colleges Choose Which Students to Admit.]
When Will I Receive an Admissions Decision?
The timing of an admissions decision depends on a number of factors and can vary from school to school. Generally, the earlier a student applies, the earlier they will hear back. Woodworth says one student he worked with applied Aug. 5 and received a decision by Aug. 11, for example. Similarly, Warfield worked with a student who applied on a Monday and received a decision by that Friday.
Such quick turnarounds aren’t common, however. For example, Michigan Tech doesn’t typically begin reading applications until September, but once that process begins, students can expect a decision within three to five weeks, Fitzpatrick says.
At some schools, that process may take a little longer as the school year progresses and more applications are submitted in bunches.
“If a student applies any time after January, there’s not one set date after that where we get a ton at a time,” she says. “For those students, the big thing is they would’ve missed some of the big scholarship deadlines and there’s a shorter timeline of getting their questions answered.”
Are Rolling Admissions Decisions Binding?
Rolling admissions decisions are nonbinding, experts say. Freshman applicants admitted to schools with rolling admissions usually don’t have to decide whether to enroll until May 1, often referred to as National College Decision Day.
What Is the Difference Between Early Action, Early Decision and Rolling Admissions?
Early action and early decision allow students to apply and receive a decision earlier than those who apply regular decision. Early decision is a binding agreement, meaning a student must commit to and attend a school if admitted.
Both of these generally have hard deadlines, and admissions decisions are released on a set date as opposed to rolling them out as applications are reviewed. Early action and early decision are typically much shorter windows, while rolling admissions usually plays out roughly over six months, Warfield says.
Additionally, some schools that use rolling admissions may not require letters of recommendation, Woodworth says, which can be of benefit to students who apply later.
Are There Disadvantages to Rolling Admissions?
Admissions experts say the main downside of rolling admissions is that qualified students who apply later in the application cycle may not be accepted to certain programs or universities because the incoming class is full. Students should avoid falling into the trap of postponing their application until all available spots are gone, Woodworth says.
Students who wait too long to apply may also find that they’re no longer competitive for admission, aid or housing arrangements, Warfield says.
“At the same time, however, schools will continue to accept applications until all seats are filled,” she says. “This means that students who receive rejections from all of their first choice schools will still have options in the spring to apply to rolling admission schools.”
Top Schools Offering Rolling Admissions
Below is a list of the 10 highest-ranked National Universities with rolling admissions, including ties. National Universities are schools that tend to be research-oriented and offer a range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral programs. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
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Everything You Need to Know About College Rolling Admissions originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 10/31/23: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
