Capstone College and Career Advising

One of the most nerve-racking parts of the college application process is managing the deadlines for all of the different college applications you are juggling. Try plugging your deadlines into your phone’s calendar and setting the alarm to remind you of important dates. It helps when you get a text message or email to let you know about an upcoming deadline.

Many colleges give you multiple options for applying. Some allow you to apply early,or before the regular application deadline. Typically, the early application deadline falls around November 1, whereas the regular deadline can be as late as February. When you apply early to a college, you typically find out whether you have been accepted, waitlisted, or rejected in December – well before the Regular Decision applicants find out.

However, not all schools are the same. Some offer an Early Decision process while others offer an Early Action or Single-Choice Early Action process. Some colleges don’t offer any early programs at all. These different options for applying early can get confusing, so here's a quick explanation:

• Early Decision: If you are accepted, you are bound to that college and must accept their offer of admission.
• Early Action: If you are accepted, you are not bound to that school and may apply to other colleges during the early and regular decision application periods.
• Single-Choice Early Action: This sort of program asks you to only apply early to that college and to no others. If you're accepted, you're not bound to go to that college, and you can apply to as many schools as you like in the Regular Decision round. You know this school is your current favorite, but you still want to be considered at other colleges.
• Regular Decision: Non-binding and often the last deadline date to submit your application and all of your materials.
• Rolling Admission: You can apply to a school whenever you like within a large span of time.

Remember, the applicant pool in early application programs can be more competitive. If your application isn't totally polished by the early deadline, or you're not yet satisfied with your SAT or ACT scores and want to retake them, you may want to hold off and apply Regular Decision. Get advice and strategically approach which deadline option is best for you!

When you make a final decision on which college you will attend, you must inform the admissions office by May 1. May 1st is referred to as the universal reply date because that is the agreed upon date for colleges throughout the country to receive decisions from students.