Early Decision is a binding program under which a student receives early notification of a college admissions decision.

The student must agree in advance to enroll if accepted. Students may apply early decision to only one college; thus it should be a clear first choice. Application deadlines for early decision are usually in November, with decision letters mailed by mid-December. Students who are contemplating applying under the early decision plan should do all of their admissions tests (SAT Reasoning, SAT Subject, and TOEFL) by the end of their junior year. It is important to remember that Early Decision is a binding commitment; as such, students should discuss any such plans with Mr. Will

Early Action is a non-binding program that gives students early notification of a college's admissions decision.

Unlike early decision, the early action plan does not require a prior commitment to enroll if accepted. Early action, far less common than early decision, is offered at schools such as Brown, Harvard, MIT, Georgetown, and Boston College. Students may apply to more than one school under the early action plan. An applicant accepted under early action usually has until May, the candidate’s reply date, to respond to the offer of admission.

Rolling Admission is a policy under which a college considers applications almost immediately after receiving them.

Decision letters are mailed within a month after the application is filed. Colleges with rolling admissions continue to accept applications only until the class is filled, so it is best to apply early.

Open Admission is a policy under which any applicant with a high school diploma is accepted. Many two-year or community colleges have an open admission policy.

Waiting List is a list of students who are not initially accepted, but who may be depending on the number of accepted students who enroll. Most colleges ultimately accept only a fraction of the students on the waiting list; they are usually notified in May.

*Note: Students whose native language is not English are still required to take the TOEFL, even at schools with an open admission policy.