TYPES OF ADMISSIONS DECISIONS

      Colleges and universities have varying admissions practices.  Information pertaining to the policy of a prospective school will be found in its publications.  Ask your counselor for additional insight.  Some of the most frequently mentioned practices include the following:

            *   Early Admission

An exceptional student would terminate his or her high school education after the junior year and enroll in college.  Early Admission is generally highly selective.

            *   Early Decision

Early Decision, a plan offered by a select number of colleges, allows a student to apply to only one school for an early admission judgment between November and mid-January.  If accepted, the student is obligated to attend.  The student may submit other applications during this period, but only one can be Early Decision.

            * Early Action

Early Action is a plan offered by a few schools that invites early application but does not require the student to attend if accepted.  Application deadline is usually in early November.

            * Rolling Admissions

The college will notify the applicant as soon as the application has been processed (usually in four to six weeks) and the file is complete.  It is to the student’s advantage to apply early.

            * Open Admissions

Students are accepted upon application in Open Admissions (usually community and technical colleges).  Some programs in these same schools may have more selective admissions.

            * Deferred Admission

Deferred Admission is a plan, which permits a student, once accepted, to postpone enrollment for one year in order to pursue other plans.