For rolling admissions, what is the best time to apply?
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1. Open admissions. If you are alive and fill out the application you are admitted even up to the day classes start. Community colleges usually follow this model.
2. Guaranteed admission with minimum requirements. Schools set certain criteria for test scores, class rank, coursework, etc, and if an applicant meets the criteria they are guaranteed to be admitted. Applicants can apply at any time and know they will be accepted. Some schools will set a deadline for applying but it will be close to start of classes.
3. Selective/competitive admission. Many schools receive more applications than students they can enroll. They set a deadline for accepting applications fairly early in the process in order to give them time to evaluate all their applications and made admission decisions.
Both 2 and 3 can have rolling admissions, that is they notify applicants throughout the application process. In 2, an applicant is notified immediately. In 3, schools can notify some applicants they are admitted before the deadline for accepting applications if they present an application that is outstanding so even these schools can have a rolling admission process.
In case 3 you probably want to get your application in as soon as you can. You can provide additional information if you achieve something significant before the application deadline. In case 1, don’t apply unless you know that is where you will be attending. In case 2 you don’t want to wait until the last minute but you do want to be aware of their deadline and that you meet their admission criteria.