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  College Guidebook


COMMON ADMISSION DECISION DEFINITIONS YOU WILL WANT TO KNOW

Early Decision

Requires you to commit to a college or university at the time of application that, if admitted, you will enroll. You should apply under an Early Decision plan only if you know that you can make a well-reasoned, first-choice decision. Upon admission the institution will require a nonrefundable deposit well before May 1. You may apply to other colleges but may have only one Early Decision application pending at any time. Colleges will respond to requests for financial aid at or near the time admission is offered. If admitted, you must enroll unless your financial aid award is inadequate.

Early Action

Permits you to apply to a college or university of your choice and receive a decision early in the senior year, well in advance of the normal spring response dates. Though you will hear early regarding your admission, you are not committed to attend and you may apply to other colleges. If you are applying for financial aid, you will follow the aid application deadlines set by the institution. You are not required to make a commitment before May 1, but you are encouraged to do so as soon as a final choice is made.

Regular Decision

A plan in which institutions review most of their applications before notifying the majority of candidates of their admission. In this process, colleges set a deadline for completing applications and will respond to completed applications by a specified date. If you are applying for financial aid, you will follow aid application deadlines set by the school. You may apply to other colleges. You will not be required to make a decision regarding enrolling before May 1.

Rolling Admission

A term used to describe the application process in which an institution reviews applications as they are received and offers decisions to students soon after they are made. If you are applying for financial aid, you will follow aid application deadlines set by the school. You may apply to other colleges and you will not be required to make a decision regarding enrolling before May 1.

Wait List

A term used by institutions to describe a process in which they may initially delay offering or denying you admission. Rather, the institution extends to you the possibility of admission in the future. Colleges offer admission to wait list candidates if insufficient numbers of regularly admitted candidates accept their offers of admission. Please refer to the Statement of Student's Rights and Responsibilities for the rights which you are assured if placed on a wait list.

Excerpted from the NACAC Guidelines for Admission Decision Options in Higher Education, approved October 1991 by the Delegate Assembly.

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