Some colleges and universities have a rolling admissions policy, but what exactly is it, and can you benefit from it as an applicant?
Rolling admission isn’t something you choose; it’s simply how an educational institution evaluates applicants and makes admission decisions. However, when selecting such a college, you can do a couple of things to improve your chances of acceptance.
In this college application guide, we’ll acquaint you with a few important things about choosing a rolling admission school:
- The definition of rolling admissions
- Can you benefit from your application to a rolling admissions school?
- How the rolling college application process works
- What you can do to improve your chances of acceptance
What Is the Rolling Admission Process?
A number of the top colleges and universities have adopted the rolling admissions model.
Anyone who has ever considered going to college knows there are application deadlines that all prospective students need to meet in order to be considered. Colleges that have a fixed application deadline allow candidates to submit their documents until a specific date. After the deadline, the admission team reviews all of the applications to assess their relevance.
The admissions decision in a school with a rolling process occurs somewhat differently.
Prospective students send in their applications, which are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. The admission team continues reviewing the applications as they come in until all the spots for the respective class have been filled.
In that case, the admissions decision is ongoing and candidates hear back within four to six weeks of sending their documents.
Reputable Universities That Have Rolling Admissions
Some of the most reputable and well-known colleges/universities that have rolling admissions include:
- Pennsylvania State University
- Indiana University Bloomington
- University of Pittsburgh
- The University of Alabama
- Arizona State University
- Michigan State University
- Iowa State University
The Benefits of Rolling Admission
College applications have been growing lately and potential students face stiff competition. If you’re about to go through this process, you may be thinking of ways to increase your chance of admission. So, you could wonder about the benefits of applying to a rolling admissions college. Here they are:
Quick Admissions Process That’s Bound to Be Less Stressful
Waiting for your dream schools to get back to you can be nerve-wracking. Additionally, finding out you haven’t made it will feel even more devastating after a long wait.
A rolling admission application will give you results in about a month. The sooner you get your answers, the easier you’ll find it to develop a course of action for the future. As a result, many consider the rolling process much less stressful.
Some Competitive Advantage
Sending your application toward the beginning of the application window can produce a distinctive competitive advantage.
There will be enough slots to fill early on. Also, you wouldn’t be compared to as many candidates as in the case of fixed-deadline admissions. If you are strategic about the rolling basis model, you can harness its perks.
Better Organization of the Application Process
Regular admissions come with strict and narrow windows. Rolling admissions application windows, on the other hand, tend to be quite broad.
Because you’ll have a lot of time, optimizing the application process is much easier. You can submit your applications to your preferred colleges first. There’ll be no need to work on a dozen applications simultaneously, meaning you’ll find it much easier to focus on quality.
How the Rolling Admission Process Occurs
While rolling admissions give you more leniency, there are still application deadlines and criteria all applicants must meet. You’ll probably still need to collect letters of recommendation, and you’ll also have to work on high-quality college essays. There will be academic standards that the application reviewers will apply to make sure you are well-suited to the respective program.
Once you assemble and send the complete required documents, the college’s admission team will review your application in the order that it comes in.
The review and candidate approval or rejection will continue until the entire class has been assembled.
To increase your chances of a successful rolling college application, you’ll need to do a couple of things:
- Submit your rolling applications before others: Prioritize the colleges you prefer. The rolling admissions cycle gives some advantages to students who apply early. Even if you aren’t accepted, you’ll still have enough time to consider other options and prepare a strong application package.
- Plan your SAT/ACT prep accordingly: To make the most of the rolling process, consider taking the SAT and ACT in October of your junior year, in high school. This will give you enough time to retake the test(s) if you need better standardized test scores.
- Ensure your application is good enough: Your application strategy should still prioritize quality. The fact that you were the first one to apply isn’t sufficient if you do a mediocre job with your application. Financial aid options must also have to be considered when working on the various components of your submission.
As you can see, prospective students have lots of options to consider. Going through a complete list of colleges with rolling admissions is a good idea to make sense of the choices. Identifying a top school of choice is an excellent step that can be followed by pinpointing a couple of backup options. The good news is that more than three-quarters of students get admitted to their first-choice school. Your odds are pretty good if you’re willing to put the work in!
Morzep College Coaches Will Help You Make Sense of the College Admission Process
You have a small window of time to choose and start working toward an excellent college application. Application processes, however, can be overwhelming. With some guidance, you can make sense of everything to improve your odds of acceptance.
Our college coaches are ready to help you out, guide you, and suggest actionable tips to result in a stronger application. If you need more information on admissions, putting your application together, and seeking financial aid options, contact the Morzep team today! WE ARE READY TO HELP!
