Navigating College Admissions: A Comprehensive Guide to Rolling Admissions

The college admissions process can be a significant source of stress for students. The need to craft compelling applications, write thoughtful essays, and meet various deadlines can feel overwhelming. Regular and rolling admissions both lead to the same goal: acceptance or denial into college. For students seeking more flexibility and a potentially faster turnaround, rolling admissions can be an attractive option. This article provides a comprehensive overview of rolling admissions, including how it works, its advantages and disadvantages, and a list of colleges that offer it.

Understanding Rolling Admissions

Rolling admission is essentially a first-come, first-served admissions process. Colleges with rolling admissions evaluate applications as they are received, starting as soon as the application period opens and continuing until the class is full. This differs from regular admissions, where you apply during a stated admissions period and hear back a couple of months later.

How Rolling Admissions Work

Colleges with rolling admissions review applications as they are received. The admissions committee will likely review your application in the same month you submitted it. Once the admissions cycle opens, such colleges typically continue to evaluate applications until the incoming class is filled. This offers more flexibility for students, which means colleges with rolling admissions can be great last-minute options.

Priority Deadlines

Most colleges with rolling admissions have priority deadlines. Priority deadlines are school-specific deadlines by which students should apply to be considered for certain school-specific advantages. If you apply by that date, your application will be read before candidates who apply after that deadline. Candidates who apply after the priority deadline will be admitted only on a space-available basis.

Advantages of Rolling Admissions

There are many advantages to applying to colleges with rolling admission, whether you apply by the priority deadline or not.

Flexibility: Rolling admissions offer more flexibility for students.
Faster Turnaround: You might hear back sooner compared to Regular Decision, where all applicants are notified on the same date.
Last-Minute Option: Colleges with rolling admissions can be great last-minute options.

Disadvantages of Rolling Admissions

Just because you can theoretically submit your application at virtually any point within the admissions window doesn’t mean you should.

First-Come, First-Served: Since rolling admissions operate on a first-come, first-served basis, you should apply as early as possible.
Space-Available Basis: Candidates who apply after the priority deadline will be admitted only on a space-available basis.

Rolling Admission vs. Other Application Deadlines

At first glance, rolling admissions can seem similar to other college application deadlines. However, it really isn’t the same as other common college application types.

Rolling Admission vs. Regular Decision

Rolling admission colleges review admissions as they receive them. With Regular Decision, you submit your application by a certain date. For this reason, there is no advantage to applying early for a Regular Decision deadline. If your deadline is January 1, you can submit your application in November, December, or even January 1. With rolling admissions, your application will be reviewed when the admissions committee receives it. This means if you submit your application on November 1, it will likely be reviewed in November, even if the deadline for submission isn’t until January 1. This also means you might hear back sooner-unlike RD where all of the applicants are notified on the same date. However, some rolling admissions colleges merge these college application types, meaning they have rolling admissions for their Regular Decision applicants.

Rolling Admission vs. Early Decision/Early Action

Some rolling admission colleges are also Early Decision colleges or Early Action colleges. Both college application types can exist at one school. Early Action and Early Decision are two college application types. The most important difference between these deadlines is that Early Decision is binding. This means if you apply and get in via Early Decision, you must attend that school. Early Decision colleges and Early Action colleges give students the opportunity to demonstrate their interest. If you apply early to a college, it’s likely that college is your first choice. Therefore, sometimes acceptance rates are higher for students who apply early.

Strategies for Applying to Colleges with Rolling Admissions

Since rolling admissions operate on a first-come, first-served basis, you should apply as early as possible. It’s highly recommended that you apply by the priority deadline. In general, it’s a good idea to apply by December.

Read also: Rolling Hills Prep Tuition Guide

List of Colleges with Rolling Admissions

Many students are interested in applying to colleges with rolling admissions. News in an annual survey, 115 offered rolling admissions. Below is a list of colleges with rolling admissions:

Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ): Ranked #40 among National Universities, Rutgers Admissions accepts 66% of their applicants. To have the best chance of impressing the Rutgers admissions committee, you can apply by the priority deadline of November 1. Rutgers is a large public university with an undergraduate size of 36,344.
Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN): Located in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue is another large public university with a priority deadline of November 1. Ranked #43 in National Universities. Purdue offers lower tuition for in-state applicants. The application becomes available on August 1.
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: This is a public university with an urban campus located in the Twin Cities: Minneapolis and St. Paul. The admissions rate for the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is 75%.
Penn State University: As a rural Pennsylvania college located in a lovely college town, Penn State is a great choice if you want to take advantage of everything that a large public university has to offer. Penn State is ranked #60 nationally, and the acceptance rate for Penn State admissions is 55%. However, if you want the best chance at gaining Penn State admissions, take note-the early acceptance rate is higher, at 65%.
Michigan State University: Tied with Penn State at #60 nationally, Michigan State is located in the suburb of East Lansing. The Michigan State admissions rate is 88%. Michigan State Admissions has an Early Action priority deadline of November 1.
University of Pittsburgh: Ranked #67 among National Universities is the University of Pittsburgh, a large public university located in Pittsburgh, PA. Students can explore over 646 degree and certificate programs in a variety of fields.
SUNY-Binghamton: Located in New York, a public university that was founded in 1946.
Indiana University Bloomington: Ranked #73 nationally. The Indiana University admissions acceptance rate is 82%. Indiana University admissions offers a few different deadlines: November 1 for Early Action, and February 1 for Regular Decision.
SUNY-Buffalo: Located in Buffalo, New York. Ranks #76 nationally with an acceptance rate of 68%. You can submit your application any time after it opens-even after the last date for applying technically passes.
Rutgers University-Newark: A branch of the Rutgers campus located in Newark, the largest city in New Jersey.
Clemson University: Located in Clemson, South Carolina. Ranked #86 nationally, Clemson is a large school with a student body of around 22,500 students. Clemson’s acceptance rate is 43%. May 1 is the final date you can apply to Clemson for the fall semester.
Loyola Marymount University: Located in Los Angeles, CA. It has an undergraduate enrollment of around 7,000 and an acceptance rate of 41%.
University of Iowa: Located in Iowa City, Iowa. The Iowa acceptance rate is 86%. To be considered for merit scholarships, apply to the University of Iowa by their priority deadline of March 1.
Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT): The school, ranked #98 nationally, is located in Rochester, NY, and the campus is home to around 14,000 undergraduates. RIT’s acceptance rate is 67%.
Rutgers University-Camden: Located in the heart of Camden, New Jersey. The school is home to around 4,185 undergraduates and has an acceptance rate of 77%.
Arizona State University: Located in sunny Tempe, AZ, Arizona State has an urban campus and a large student body of 65,000 students. The acceptance rate at Arizona State is 90%.
Saint Louis University: Located in St. Louis, Missouri. 85% of students are accepted to St. Louis University. For priority consideration, apply by December 1.
Creighton University: Located in the urban environment of Omaha, Nebraska. Creighton has an acceptance rate of 76% and is ranked #123 among National Universities.
Loyola University Chicago: Located in the heart of Chicago. The admissions rate for this #142 ranked school is 79%.
University of Alabama: Located on its suburban campus in Tuscaloosa, AL. The acceptance rate to UA is 80%.
Quinnipiac University: Located in the Connecticut suburb of Hamden, near New Haven. The admissions rate for Quinnipiac is 84%.
California State University, Long Beach: The CSU acceptance rate is 40%, and there is no priority deadline for rolling admissions.
Cal Poly Pomona: Cal Poly Pomona has an application filing period from October 1-November 30.
Brooklyn College: Located in Brooklyn, NY. The Brooklyn College acceptance rate is 55%.
Marymount Manhattan: Located in the Upper East Side of New York City.
University of Maine: Located in Orono, ME on the east coast of the state. The University of Maine is a large public university with around 9,700 students and a 94% acceptance rate. To be considered first for merit scholarships, apply Early Decision by December 1.

Read also: UCF Application Process Explained

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