You might be wondering when college applications are due for fall 2021. Although most college admissions deadlines range from November 30 to January 1, some colleges use Early Decision or Early Action plans. These plans require an early application to a college—usually due in early November—and provide a response by mid-December. Early Decision is a binding decision. In other words, if your child applies to a school under Early Decision and they are accepted, then they are required to attend. Also, they may only apply to one school under Early Decision.
You can find a free Early Decision quiz here .
When Are College Applications Due Fall 2021
The other program—Early Action—similarly requires an early application, but it is not binding. If your child applies under Early Action, they can generally also apply to other schools, and they do not have to decide until the spring. But some schools—like Georgetown, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale—practice what is called Single-Choice Early Action. This means that a student can only apply early to one college, but they are not required to attend if they are accepted. At this point, over 400 schools—primarily highly selective schools—offer one of these options for admissions.
The first thing that they have to do is figure out if any of the schools your child wants to apply to has an early admission policy. And beware that college policies about early admission do change. For example, some schools—like Harvard and Princeton—canceled their early admission programs in 2006. In 2011, however, they reinstated them.
If some of your child’s schools do use an early admission process, they will need to determine if it is a good choice for them. The only reason to even consider early admission is if it is one of their top picks. If your child really wants to attend a school that is on that list and it offers early admission, then they should consider it. So how does this work? Basically, they apply early to their first-choice school and, if accepted, they go.
The benefit of this is that there is no need to wait until April or May to find out if they have been accepted. At the same time, if the college rejects your child or defers their admission, then they still have time to apply to other colleges. The other thing to keep in mind is that applying early actually helps their chances of being accepted. In other words, applying early gives your child a leg up in the application process. Some colleges accept early admission applicants at rates of 2 to 3 times those of regular applicants.
Keep in mind if your child chooses to apply using early admission to the school, they must be absolutely sure that the school is their first-choice school. If they have even one other school on their list of that they would love to attend, early admission is not the best choice.
How to Get Started on Your College Applications for Fall 2021
To keep track of the application due dates for Fall 2021, it is a good idea to set up a Google Doc with all of the information about application deadlines. This a good one.
Start a file to keep college catalogs and brochures organized. This year, your child is going to be attending college nights, college fairs and meeting with college admissions reps at their high school.
Think and plan SERIOUSLY for financial aid opportunities. This is the time to really kick your financial aid plans into high gear, especially if your child is applying for scholarships. Having the BEST application in the whole wide world won’t count for bupkus if your child seriously slacks off on their financial aid to-dos.
Campus visit time! Visit schools they may be considering. If this is not practical for your family, do visit nearby colleges to get an idea of the different types of schools. Or go online and take a virtual tour.
Fill out the NCAA forms! If your child plans to play sports at the college level, be sure to fill out NCAA forms in August (before senior year).
College recommendations. Start thinking about who they’ll ask. Then have your child ask if the person they identified will write one on their behalf. Many teachers and counselors like to write their recommendations over the summer.
Take advantage of summer. Do something interesting! Summer is also the perfect time to start brainstorming for their college essay topic. (Remember that personal brag list they’ve got going? Since their essay should be a reflection of their personality and interests, take a look at that sheet.)