When Should I Apply to College?

The college application process can feel overwhelming at times. In addition to finalizing a list of schools to apply to, you’ll also have to worry about writing essays and collecting supplemental materials.

On top of that, varying deadlines can also leave you wondering, “When should I apply for college?” Let’s talk about how to prioritize your college application responsibilities for a stress-free senior year.

Types of college deadlines

College deadlines vary widely based on the type of application you submit. Let’s go over the four main types of application and how to approach them.

Early decision

Ideally, students applying early decision (ED) will want to do all of their research beforehand. Unlike with other types of applications, ED is a binding agreement, which means upon acceptance you’re promising to attend. Additionally, if you’ve received any other acceptances or submitted any other applications, you must contact the schools to withdraw them.

Most early decision deadlines fall around early November or December. That way, students can hear back by mid-December or January. Some schools also have an Early Decision II deadline in early January. While ED II is still binding, it allows students more time before the deadline to prepare their applications and hear back from other schools. Students should consider how early decision and financial aid work before applying ED.

Applying ED also shows that you are extremely interested in that particular school, and if you’re the first round of accepted students, you’ll be considered first for scholarships and financial aid.

Expert Perspective

I recommend that low-income students only apply ED to a school that meets 100% of need. It’s essential that before you apply ED, you and your family understand what the financial aid package will look like through net price calculators. You can start looking at these numbers during your junior year, since you already have the taxes that you’ll submit when you apply for need-based aid in your senior year.

Sara Petty | Director of Pre-College Success at TeenSHARP, Independent College Counselor

See also: Everything you need to know about Early Decision and Early Action.

Early action

Early action (EA) is similar to ED, except that it’s not binding. In other words, if you get accepted to a school that you applied to EA, you don’t necessarily have to attend. If you want, you can just put the acceptance letter in a drawer and wait to decide until May 1.

EA deadlines typically fall somewhere between November and January. However, if you miss the early deadline, you can usually just apply to the regular deadline. The only difference is that you won’t hear back until later. For that reason, you’ll want to start your EA applications around the same time or a little bit later than ED. Keep in mind that the early bird gets the worm in term of financial aid and scholarships, so apply early if you can.

Expert Perspective

Always check if the financial aid deadline at a college is different than the admissions deadline. Some students, especially with complicated tax situations, may be able to submit their financial aid documents after the deadline when they apply Early Action and Early Decision.

Jack Wang | Wealth Advisor, Innovative Advisory Group

See also: Early Decision and Early Action Notification Dates 

Regular decision

Regular decision (RD) applications have the latest deadlines out of all other types. While they can span a range, RD deadlines usually fall around January or February. Students typically hear back around March or April, giving them about a month to make their final decisions.

Although RD applications should fall at the bottom of your priority list, don’t be fooled into putting them off for too long. Between homework and finals, you probably won’t have as much time in the second semester as you think.

Missed the college application deadline? Here’s what you can do

Rolling admission

While other types of applications send out decisions to all applicants around the same time, rolling admission allows students to hear back shortly after applying on a “rolling basis.” Rolling admissions schools are constantly accepting applicants throughout the year. Therefore, the process may get more selective as the next class fills up. For this reason, many recommend putting your rolling applications at the top of your priority list in order to get an early bird advantage.

Expert Perspective

I always tell students to treat a school’s “priority deadline” as the main deadline. That’s because oftentimes, the priority deadline is also the deadline for merit aid. So, if you wait for the final deadline to roll around, you could be losing out on thousands of dollars in merit scholarships.

Sara Petty | Director of Pre-College Success at TeenSHARP, Independent College Counselor

Expert Perspective

When it comes to researching colleges, the earlier, the better! Even going on college tours or anything of that nature, like looking on college websites or reaching out to professors, can be a great idea as a junior. If it’s a major field of interest, sometimes you can sit in on classes in person. Students can do that in their senior year as well. Any chance to start exploring colleges as a junior can help students feel more confident when they apply as a senior.

Melody Lipford | Advising Specialist on the Virtual Access Team, College Possible

Making a college application timeline

When applying to college, you’ll want to consider the key components of your applications. Then, you can plan out when to tackle each part instead of saving it all for the last minute.

Standardized tests

ACT and SAT scores are a significant part of college admissions decisions. Most students start testing in the winter or spring of junior year. However, it can take a few tries to get the score that you want, and some students may take a test in the summer leading up to senior year.

If that’s you, don’t stress. Just remember that ACT and SAT scores can take between 2-8 weeks to come back. Therefore, you’ll want to aim to be completely finished with testing by August of senior year.

As you prepare for your standardized tests, it’s important to find a great tutor. Some schools also offer after school SAT test-prep, but you can work on practice tests individually by downloading them off the College Board website. If you’re still trying to schedule your standardized tests, check out this list of SAT and ACT test dates.

Also see: When should I take my SAT/ACT?

Letters of recommendation

Many college applications request a letter of recommendation. In this document, a teacher or counselor will express to the admissions committee why you’re a great applicant and will fit in well at the institution.

Since teachers often receive a lot of requests for recommendations, you’ll want to ask them well in advance. Many students will even give their teachers a heads up at the end of junior year. Then, you can give them all of the details about a month before their earliest deadline.

Be sure to ask a teacher or counselor that you’ve built a rapport with because then they’ll have plenty of good things to write about you. It’s important to give admissions committees the best opportunity to get to know you as a student and as an individual, and recommendation letters can help paint a picture.

Related: How to ask for letters of recommendation for college and scholarships 

Essays

For many students, one of the most daunting components of the college application is the essay portion. Although most writing components range from 250-650 words, you’ll want to give yourself enough time to revise and edit before submitting. If you have a college counselor, they can also offer useful feedback.

To make sure you’ll have enough time to perfect your essays, you can start brainstorming during the summer before senior year. In fact, the Common App, which is used by over 700 institutions, typically releases its prompts well in advance of the college application season. We also have a guide to help you through answering each of those prompts as effectively as possible.

College application deadlines can be hard to keep up with, especially if you’re applying to EA, ED, regular decision or rolling admissions. However, if you stay on top of the main pieces and prioritize earlier deadlines, it can be manageable. Good luck on your applications!

Don’t miss: When should I start my college search?

So, when should I apply for college?

Now that you know about the different types of deadlines and the things to consider leading up to your application submission, let’s dive into the big question: When should you apply for college?

The easy answer is as soon as possible, but likely, your teachers and counselors will start advising you on college applications at the beginning of your senior year. You should also aim to start gathering all the required materials for your applications in the beginning of your first semester back as a senior.

Applying to schools with firm deadlines

In most cases, it’s a good idea to send in your application in the days or weeks preceding the deadline. Whether you are applying Early Action, Early Decision, or Regular Decision, this helps you take advantage of as much time as possible in fine-tuning your application. And you won’t receive any penalty for submitting it close to the deadline as long as you don’t end up submitting it too late.

But remember – just because you are holding your application until close to the deadline, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get started early! The earlier you get started, the better your essays will turn out and the easier it will be to secure letters of recommendation. Getting it out the way sooner can also ease your stress and allow you to focus on finishing out your senior year strong!

Applying to schools with Rolling Admissions

If you’re applying to a school with rolling admissions, it’s usually a good idea to send in your application on the earlier side. This can improve your chances of admission and of receiving good financial aid. Don’t rush out your essays to the point of submitting mediocre work, but also don’t hold them off for too long.

Key Takeaways

• There are four different types of college deadlines: Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, and Rolling Admission
• Early decision is a binding agreement, meaning if you’re accepted, you are obligated to go there. It’s a great way to show how interested you are in a college or university
• Early action is another form of an early application, but it isn’t binding like early decision, so some students may turn to it as an alternative
• Regular decision is the last round of application deadlines, and you’ll likely hear back in March or April
• Lastly is rolling admission. This means the school will accept applications at any point in the year as long as they still have spots open
• You should ideally make a timeline to get all the materials together for your application, such as your SAT/ACT tests and scores, letters of recommendation and essays
• While you should apply as soon as possible, your counselors and teachers will likely start encouraging you to get started at the beginning of senior year
• Ideally, you should apply to schools with hard deadlines days or weeks in advance, but you don’t want to rush to finish, so be sure to start early
• While rolling admission might seem like you can take your time, it’s still important to apply as early as you’re comfortable with because spots could fill up quickly

Frequently asked questions about when you should apply to college