Types of Admission Plans
Many colleges offer students a variety of admissions plans including early decision, rolling admission, and regular admissions. To make matters even more complicated, some plans are considered "restrictive" while others are "non-restrictive," The information that follows uses terminology and definitions used by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the professional organization for college admission offices, counselors, and college advisors.
Non-Restrictive Plans
Non-restrictive plans include Regular Decision, Rolling Admission, Not Restrictive or Not Single Choice Early Action
Regular Decision is the traditional admission plan. Under this plan, students apply to college before the college's stated deadline date with all of the supporting documents. Students will be notified, usually between mid-March and early April, if they have been admitted. Deposits are required by May 1st, a date known as the Candidates Reply Date. Under this plan, students are free to apply to as many colleges as they wish.
Under Rolling Admission plans, students submit their application to the college and the college reviews the application as soon as all the required documents are received. Typically, students are notified of their admission status within 4-6 weeks of the receipt of all materials. As in regular decision plans, students may apply to other colleges. The Candidates Reply Date of May 1st, usually remains the date for deposits to be sent to the college you will attend.
Non-Restrictive Early Action plans are those in which students submit their applications and supporting materials early in the senior year, using the college's deadline date, and are notified if they have been admitted well in advance of the college's usual notification date. Under non-restrictive early action plans, students may apply to other colleges and are not obligated to accept the college's offer of admission, nor are they required to submit a deposit to the college before May 1st.
Restrictive Plans
Restrictive plans include Early Decision and Restrictive or Single Choice Early Action
Under Early Decision, a student is making a commitment to the specific college that is the student's clear first choice and where he/she will enroll, if admitted. Under Early Decision, students may apply to other colleges but may not apply under Early Decision at any other college while they have a pending Early Decision application. Colleges in turn, agree to notify students of their admission decision within a short period of time after the Early Decision deadline. Since students are making a commitment under this plan, they agree to withdraw all applications to other colleges if they are admitted under the Early Decision plan. If students have applied for financial aid, they will be notified of their financial aid offer at, or soon after the time they are notified by the admissions office that they have been admitted. Should a student not be offered sufficient financial aid, the student may turn down the offer of admission and be released from their commitment.
Restrictive or Single Choice Early Action plans are similar to Early Decision plans in that students may apply to only one school under this plan but they are not obligated to attend the college if admitted nor are they asked to submit a deposit prior to May 1 of the senior year. These are called restrictive plans because students may not apply under early plans to other colleges.
The chart below summarizes some of the major points that you should know and consider carefully before committing to an early application.