What You Need to Know About Rolling Admission

Rolling admission is a good option to help lessen the strain of the college search for some students. But what exactly is rolling admission? Find out now!

When you come across the term “rolling admission” on a school’s website, don’t just scroll on by. Take the time to look closer at the fine print, because this admission policy gives you more options when it comes to applying to college. Whether you missed the November or December admission deadlines or you’re just now getting the college bug, going to school in the fall can still be an option if you choose schools that have a rolling admission policy. Here’s what you need to know.

What is rolling admission?

“Rolling admission means a college will consider student applications as they come in and offer decisions to students on an ongoing basis,” says Brian Jones, Director of Admissions at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Campuses with rolling admission deadlines don’t make all applicants apply by a specific date, and they don’t wait until after a certain point in the year before announcing admission decisions. Jones does point out, however, that highly selective colleges and universities are more likely to have prescribed deadlines and admission notification timelines. In fact, no Ivy League schools currently allow students to apply on a rolling basis.

How does rolling admission work?

Although the definition of rolling admission is generally the same at most colleges, some schools have specific policies, like priority deadlines, that impact rolling admission. “Priority deadlines ensure that students will receive full consideration of their application and are often used by colleges when they have a limit to the number of students that they can enroll,” Jones says. Campuses offering rolling admission will typically review applications on an ongoing basis at least up until their priority deadline. Unlike Early Decision, Early Action, and Regular Decision, rolling admission policies do not have set deadlines. However, most colleges that offer rolling admission will only keep the application window open until all spots are filled.

Related: Early Action vs. Regular Decision: Pros and Cons

Two ways to look at rolling admission

While many students choose to use rolling admission when they’ve missed the earlier application deadlines, you can also view rolling admission as a way to get into college sooner. Because colleges with this policy review applications as they are received, they also make decisions quicker, sometimes even in as little as four to eight weeks after receiving your completed application. This is different from colleges with a Regular or Early Decision deadline. In those cases, most admission counselors wait for the posted deadline to review all the applications and make acceptance offers. Look for the application period on school websites. In general, schools that offer rolling admission will begin accepting applications in August or September and continue through the spring. Some will even go as late as July for the fall term. 

But remember: your college(s) of interest with rolling admission may still have a priority deadline you need to be aware of. “This usually means that students should get their applications in by that priority date in order to have the best chance of receiving merit scholarships and/or admission,” says Lindsay Fried, Independent Educational Consultant and founder of Simply Admissions.

Related: Waiting on Admission Decisions? 5 Things You Should Do

How to find colleges with rolling admission

If you have a list of schools picked out, search each admission page or call the office of admission to find out their admission policy. “Colleges and universities will identify on their website and in their application instructions if they have rolling admission,” says Jones. He also reminds students that admission staff from each campus are happy to answer these types of questions as well, so be sure to utilize them. If you’re just starting the college search process and you’re not sure where to begin or who offers rolling admission, here are some schools that do:

You can find many more schools that offer rolling admission by consulting one of the many lists created by credible websites. Here are a couple to get you started:

That said, it’s always a good idea to cross-check the reference by visiting the admission page on the college’s website. Their admission policies may change year to year, and you want to ensure you're looking at the correct information. 

Related: College Search Resources Students Need to Know About

Pros and cons of rolling admission

Still not sure if rolling admission is right for you? Don’t worry—you’re not alone. The terminology used to describe the college process is often confusing and can delay or even prevent students from applying. To get a better idea if you should be looking for schools that offer rolling admission, consider these pros and cons.

Pros

  • You don't have to wait as long to receive an admission decision—a huge relief for many stressed students with their ever-growing college search to-do list.
  • “More than 25% of traditional colleges and universities offer rolling admission,” says Kevin N. Ladd, Chief Operating Officer for Scholarships.com.
  • Rolling admission is not binding, so you're able to see where else you're accepted before enrolling—a bonus for prospective college students applying to more than one school.
  • You can submit additional applications to colleges with rolling admission policies later if you want more choices—a great option for students who change their mind from when they applied in November to when they need to commit in May.

Cons

  • As time goes on, there are fewer spots available, Lindsay Fried reminds students, which makes it more competitive. “This can mean that qualified students may not be accepted if they wait too long.”
  • If you need scholarships, Fried says going with a rolling admission school might make it easier to miss priority deadlines and potentially lose out on money. 

Ultimately, having colleges with rolling admission on your list provides a good backup if your plans aren’t quite going how you’d expect or if you’re having a harder time deciding where you want to attend. Whether this is the right choice for you or not is entirely up to you, but it’s great that more and more schools are offering this alternative option to students to help ease the college search and application process.

Need more advice on filling out your applications? Check out our College Admission section.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Sara Lindberg

Sara Lindberg

Sara Lindberg is a freelance writer and former secondary school counselor. She has a Master of Education in Counseling and 20 years of experience working with middle and high school students and their parents. 

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress
Bri'Yana Brown-Dunn

Bri'Yana Brown-Dunn

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress helped me gain interest in many colleges/universities and many scholarships. I would say the most helpful thing CollegeXpress has done for me is sending me emails that tell me certain types of colleges are interested in me as well as emails about scholarships that I can look at and possibly apply for.

Monica

Monica

High School Class of 2023

Being a sophomore in high school, I never really worried about college. I thought it wasn't important to worry about until senior year. Through this program opportunity I came across, I realized how important it is to start looking at colleges early and start planning ahead. CollegeXpress has opened my eyes to what colleges require, what colleges are near me, and what they offer. The daily emails I get from CollegeXpress really help me look at the different options I have and what colleges I fit into. Without this website, I would not be taking the time out of my day to worry about what my future will be nor what opportunities I have. I could not be more grateful for such an amazing and useful website. It's thanks to CollegeXpress that not only me but my family now know how much potential I have in to getting into these colleges/universities that we thought were out of my reach.

Samantha Fils-Aime

Samantha Fils-Aime

High School Class of 2019

I love that CollegeXpress has helped me find some scholarships to apply for but also helped me succeed in school with lots of tips. I also really like how they consistently email me about webinars that teach me a lot of things from the comfort of my home!

Melanie Kajy

Melanie Kajy

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me tremendously during my senior year of high school. I started off using the college search to find more information about the universities I was interested in. Just this tool alone gave me so much information about a particular school. It was my one-stop shop to learn about college. I was able to find information about college tuition, school rank, majors, and so much more that I can't list it all. The college search tool has helped me narrow down which college I want to attend, and it made a stressful process surprisingly not so stressful. I then moved to the scholarship search tool to find scholarships to apply for because I can't afford to pay for tuition myself. The search tool helped me find scholarships that I was eligible for. The tool gave me all the information I could ever need about a particular scholarship that was being offered. The CollegeXpress scholarship search tool is so much better than other tools offered, like the Chegg scholarship search. Thanks to CollegeXpress, I was able to apply to tons of scholarships in a relatively easy way!

Tinuola Dada

Tinuola Dada

$2,000 Community Service Scholarship Winner, 2015

I am very excited to be this year's recipient of the Multicultural Student Community Service Scholarship. This scholarship will bring me ever closer to my academic and professional goals. CollegeXpress has been an exceptional resource to me, and I recommend it to all rising seniors as they begin to navigate the college application process.

College Matches
X

Colleges You May Be Interested In

Hiram College

Hiram, OH

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, AR