How Do Rolling Admissions Work? What You Need to Know

Last Updated on August 12, 2024 by Jill Schwitzgebel

How do rolling admissions work?  Does it seem confusing?  It’s not!  When a college uses rolling admission, it means that they will evaluate applications as they are received.  This is different than a college that sets a regular decision deadline to review all applications – that means that a college will not review any applications until all are received.  Typically, with rolling admissions, you will receive a college decision more quickly than you will with a regular decision deadline.

Students should not presume that rolling admissions means no deadlines though.  It may sometimes mean that there is an invisible deadline – the college could reach their capacity sooner than a college that does not offer this type of admission.

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Benefits of Rolling Admissions

• The most obvious benefit to students, is that they will receive their admissions decision sooner than they will with other types of college application deadlines.  It will usually only take four to six weeks. And sometimes, in the early part of application season, even less than that!
• Applying via rolling admission gives more flexibility than when applying somewhere as an Early Decision applicant – there is no binding commitment to attend.
• When students apply early for rolling admission, there may be less competition.  There will be fewer applicants to compare students’ applications to, which can be an advantage. Yes, the student still needs to present a strong application, but if there are lots of seats left to fill, it can help, since colleges will not have seen the strength of later applications!
• If a student has changed their mind or hasn’t gotten an acceptance they hoped for, often, colleges with rolling admissions are still accepting applications. So, it can give students some options after regular decision deadlines.  Options are never a bad thing!

How to Best Utilize Rolling Admissions

Many of the strategies to prepare for the rolling admission process, are the ways that I beg students to prepare for the entire college application process.

• Apply early!  In fact, the rolling admission applications should be the first ones submitted.  The college may not issue a deadline to apply, but it’s important to set an artificial one.
• Some applications will open as early as July.  That means that grades and activities from high school Junior year, matter a lot.
• Finish doing your college research and/or visits, early.
• If applying with test scores, it is even more important to complete college entrance exams early.
• Work on the college essay over the summer before senior year.
• Complete your FAFSA as early as possible, to receive best financial aid consideration

Financial Aid and Scholarships and Rolling Admissions

Most colleges have a limited amount of financial aid available and especially with rolling admissions, they may distribute that aid on a first come, first serve basis.  So, that is one more reason to apply early to be sure that your family does not miss out on that aid.

Scholarships may also be awarded in the same way, though this is less standard.  But like admission, if the scholarships are also awarded on a rolling basis, it will be an advantage to apply early when the applicant pool is smaller.  At some colleges however, there is a deadline to apply for scholarships.  Colleges will then give scholarship consideration to all applications received up until that date.

College List

I think it can be a great strategy to include a college with rolling admissions on a student’s college list.  But, it shouldn’t be a priority – consider it a positive if your student happens to have one or two.  Some colleges, for instance, Penn State University, actually will do a hybrid of admissions.  Before a certain date, students will get early action priority when they apply, though the process is still rolling.  They are just guaranteed to have a decision by an earlier date.  Students that apply after their December 1 deadline will likely wait much longer to get a decision.

Other colleges have early and regular application deadlines, but will still accept applications for rolling admission, after those dates.  The college’s own admission website will always be the best place to find that information.

This list from Niche isn’t a comprehensive list of the hundreds of colleges that have rolling admission, but should get you started.