Eleventh Hour Applications and Rolling Admissions

You may have missed the November 30 deadline for California Public Universities (both UC and CSU), and the December deadlines for many colleges, but you have not yet run out of options.  Many colleges have deadlines in January or February, and some have rolling admissions, which means there is no set application deadline.  There may, however, be limited spots at these rolling admission schools, so it's better to get your application in sooner than later.

For a long (though not necessarily comprehensive) list of schools still accepting applications, visit the  College Simply website Application Deadlines page.  Be sure to check deadlines with individual colleges as well.

Niche.com has a list of schools with rolling admissions, which includes some excellent schools like Montana State University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.  US News and World Report also has a list of 11 highly rated colleges that have rolling admissions deadlines.

Think you can't afford these out of state or private schools?  Be aware that many schools offer both need-based and merit-based financial aid, and private schools often have more aid available than public universities.  By law, each university is required to have a net price calculator on their website, which should provide an estimate of what it would actually cost YOU to go there. For low and middle income students, this is generally significantly less than the published cost of attendance.  Just search the website for "net price calculator".

Also be sure to take advantage of any regional tuition exchange programs, including the Western Undergraduate Exchange for Western States, the New England Regional Student Program, the Midwest Student Exchange Program, and the Southern States Academic Common Market.  Details vary between programs, but most offer students from qualifying states reduced tuition at participating institutions. Generally, instead of paying out of state tuition, the student pays 150% of the in-state tuition cost.  Depending on which state you are coming from and which state you are going to, this may actually be less than in-state tuition in your home state.

Remember, once you've submitted your application, watch your mail and email for notifications of follow-up instructions and take care of submitting any additional information needed in a timely manner.  Also be sure to complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after January 1st, regardless of whether you have already completed your college applications or not!