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early action or early decision</a>. This is a stark contrast to schools with rolling admission.</p>
<h3>Rolling Admission vs. Open Admission</h3>
<p><img src=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/asset.plexuss.com/news/images/rolling-admission-colleges.jpg" alt="Rolling Admission Colleges" width="400" height="250" /></p>
<p>Don’t confuse rolling basis admission or rolling admission colleges with open admission colleges. At an open admission college, everyone that meets basic criteria is automatically accepted. A lot of community colleges use this policy. Rolling admission colleges don’t accept everyone. In fact, some are quite selective. These colleges just choose to keep their application window open for a while to make things easier on their admission staff. </p>
<h3>Advantages of Rolling Admission</h3>
<p>You’ll reap the most benefits from a college with rolling admission if you apply as early as possible.</p>
<p>Check out these four perks of applying early:</p>
<ol>
<li>You’ll get an acceptance or rejection letter way ahead of the regular March or April notification period. This means less stress and more time to pursue other options if necessary.</li>
<li>You have a higher chance of getting accepted because most spots haven’t filled up yet. You’re also showing the college that you’re interested in going there, a self-starter, and eager to <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/how-to-be-a-successful-college-student">become a successful college student</a>.</li>
<li>You still have until May 1<sup>st</sup> to decide. Applying early leaves you with plenty of time to look over financial aid offers and compare schools. You can make a well-thought-out decision instead of a rushed one in the Spring.</li>
<li>You have plenty of time left to apply to other colleges if you get rejected at a college with rolling admission.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Drawbacks of Rolling Admission</h3>
<p>If you’re a procrastinator, colleges and universities with open admission might seem like a dream. There’s no hard application deadline, so you can put off applying until the last minute. Right? Wrong. You shouldn’t look at it like that. Applying late to a rolling admission school has a bunch of disadvantages.</p>
<p>Here are 5 worth making note of:</p>
<ol>
<li>If you wait too long, you could miss out on <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/apply-for-scholarships">scholarship, honors program, and financial aid deadlines. An acceptance letter doesn’t mean much if you don’t have the funds to pay for school.</li>
<li>Your academic program could fill up before you’re accepted. While the college might still accept you, you’d need to go in undeclared until a spot in the program opens. This is risky and could even delay your graduation.</li>
<li>Your chances of getting accepted are narrower the longer you wait. While you procrastinated, other students applied early, limiting the number of spots that are still available.</li>
<li>Most colleges require recommendation letters from your teacher or guidance counselor. If you wait to apply until the summer before college starts, you could run into some trouble. Teachers and guidance counselors are typically off during the summer.</li>
<li>Campus housing usually prioritizes students who make a down payment. If you wait too long to apply, you could miss out on choosing a roommate or get stuck in the worst on-campus housing option. There might not even be on-campus housing available at all.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Rolling Admission Colleges as a Fallback Option</h3>
<p>If you’re too ambitious in your college selections or don’t <a href=https://plexuss.com/n/"https://plexuss.com/news/article/how-many-colleges-should-i-apply-to">apply to the right number of schools</a>, you might end up with only rejection or waitlist letters come Spring. This can be stressful, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t start college in the Fall. Colleges and universities with rolling admission make a great fallback option if you find yourself in that predicament. You’ll still have plenty of colleges to choose from that are still eager to fill up empty admission spots with qualified students.</p>
<h3>Last Piece of Advice on Rolling Admission Colleges</h3>
<p>If the school you want to attend has rolling admission, follow this advice:</p>
<p>Set yourself an application deadline that’s in line with or earlier than regular admission colleges. If you don’t set a mental deadline, it’ll be easier to keep putting off your application. You don’t want to end up with an acceptance letter to your dream school but no housing, scholarships, or financial aid to help get you there.</p>
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