What Happened to Starting College on a Main Campus in the Fall?

The traditional on-campus freshman start in September seems to be going the way of the slide rule and cursive writing, at least for some students. More and more colleges are sending students to satellite campuses, summer start, spring start, and international programs, staggering start times across dates and locations to enroll as many students as possible while still having enough room in classes and in student housing.

College Admissions results are unpredictable in 2023. Schools deferred an unprecedented number of applicants in the early decision/early action rounds in the fall of 2022. And this extends beyond the Ivies. This is in reference to schools like Clemson, the University of Georgia, and the University of Virginia. What is happening? This blog explains.

You may already have some acceptances in hand from rolling, early action, or early decision applications, or you may be waiting for your very first acceptance as colleges release their decisions for the regular round. This blog post will help you get clear on the factors that matter most.

Getting deferred or rejected is not the news you were hoping for in this early round, but most students are going to face some rejection during this process. If you were deferred or rejected from your Early Decision school, you are now released from your binding agreement. If you were rejected, then that decision is final for this application cycle. You may not re-apply there this year. If you were deferred and are still interested in the ED school, read the deferral letter to learn what you can submit.

You may start to get acceptances from rolling and early action schools now. After all your hard work, that’s the best news ever! Keep track of anything required, but in general, you should hang tight even while the school sends you approximately 967 emails each day pressuring you to commit. Under no circumstance should you put down an enrollment deposit-- you can only put down an enrollment deposit at one school-- until you are certain you want to attend the school.

Some students have acceptances already because they may have applied under a Rolling admissions deadline. Many public schools and private schools with high acceptance rates fill the class as applications come in.