O.W. asks: I’m really worried about my child getting in to the schools where she applied. When is it too late to apply for rolling admissions?
Schools with rolling admissions will accept applications until they fill their incoming class and typically have official deadlines that stretch out into the spring and even summer. Penn State, for example, lists its official rolling admissions deadline as July 28. Does this mean the university will accept applications until then? Not if it fills the incoming class sooner. Does this mean an accepted student will be admitted to their major or campus of choice? Not necessarily. Colleges will let you know on their website when it’s too late.
Just as these colleges receive applications on a rolling basis, you can expect them to provide admissions decisions on a rolling basis as well – typically four to six weeks after an application is submitted (unless otherwise specified). Rolling admissions schools can be amazing options for students who decide to apply later in the game for one reason or another. But there are still advantages to applying sooner rather than later: The longer you wait, the less financial aid may be available; spots for certain majors, programs or campuses fill up more quickly than spots for the school at large; and you don’t know when any given college will fill all of its spots. The sooner you can finalize your application, the more opportunities you’ll have to take advantage of the resources a college has to offer.
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