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The Admission ProcessFinancial Need and the Admission Process More colleges are admitting that they are considering a student's level of need before making admission offers. For many years, the majority of colleges proudly advertised 'need-blind admission' policies. Tighter budgets and limited financial aid are forcing colleges to look at student and family financial circumstances as part of the admission process. For the student and family, this can mean that the student meets all the academic requirements for admission but is refused by the college because the student would require substantial amounts of financial aid in order to attend. Most colleges prefer to have students who can afford to pay most of their college costs without needing financial aid. This saves the college's institutional aid dollars for 'highly desirable' students with top academic scores. Students and parents should ask every college they consider if the admission process is need-blind. The majority of colleges still provide need-blind admission. Colleges that consider need in the admission process may not offer this information unless it is requested.
Is Early Decision The Right Decision? Many colleges offer students the opportunity to apply for early admission, which includes both early decision or action. Early admission programs are designed for students who are certain of their first choice college. The student applies in the fall (usually November) and hears within a month. Early decision involves a commitment on the student's part - so that if accepted, the student is automatically matriculated. Early action, on the other hand, does not involve that commitment. The student accepted under early action programs has until spring to notify the school whether or not he/she will attend. More students are using early decision today. Many college counselors are concerned by the rise in early decision applications. They say that early decision locks a student into a college choice before they can consider all the implications of that decision. A further concern is that early decision is used mostly by students from wealthy families who do not need financial aid. Students needing aid often must wait for aid offers in April before selecting a college. Some students believe that early decision applications have an advantage as a higher percentage are accepted. While statistically this may be true it is often because the early decision applicant pool is usually made up of students with more academic merit. Some students just want to simplify their lives by concluding the admission process as quickly as possible, so they can focus on other priorities. While this can make sense, it can also result in limited financial aid options with no opportunity for comparison with other schools. Why do colleges encourage early decision? The Chronicle of Higher Education states, "...aside from being interested in good matches, there are some self-interested reasons why colleges might want to fill their classes this way. In most early decision programs, students promise they will enroll in the college if they get in. The pledge eliminates some of the guess-work that characterizes the spring admission season, when a college might lose to competitors half or three-fourths of the people it admits." For colleges, early decision responses are critical to their budget planning cycle. Should students use early decision? If they clearly understand
the limitations of their decision and realize that early decision is often
more convenient to colleges than to students, this choice may be appropriate.
Do students using early decision have an advantage over students using the
regular admission process? In the majority of situations, experts agree
the answer is no.
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