Learn about upcoming changes to the ACT college admissions exam.
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2025 Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) College Admissions Trends
Learn about the increasingly competitive landscape of college admissions trends in 2025. Some questions this addresses are: What early trends are we seeing in acceptances for the Class of 2025? Which trends from recent years remain, and what is changing this year? What do we predict for regular decision (spring) outcomes? How does the test optional movement and some colleges’ return to requiring test scores affect admissions moving forward? What will happen with SAT and ACT test requirements in the future?
What To Do With Your ED/EA Outcomes
It’s the best thing EVER when you are admitted to your Early Decision school. You are done with applications (except in some cases) and ready to attend your dream school next year. Similarly, Early Action results present you with admissions decisions before the regular decision pool of applicants so that you can begin to breathe a bit easier and start narrowing your focus. But if you are deferred or denied, you have some decisions to make.
The Growing Trend of Getting Wait Listed
Getting placed on a school’s wait list rather than receiving an offer of admission can feel like a very remote second place. Wait lists can move, though, so opaque as the list may be-- am I first in line? 2,415th?-- act now to keep your spot if you are still interested in the school.
Can I Appeal my Financial Award Letter?
Last week’s blog covered how to read your award letter, but what can you do if the amount you are on the hook for is higher than what you can-- or want to-- pay? Ideally you will have sussed this all out before applying to schools, but the reality is that a school isn’t always transparent about expected family contribution, and even when it provides a cost calculator, the school doesn’t necessarily stand by it.
How to Read Your Financial Award Letter
Many questions arise when you read a college’s financial award letter, but what you must focus on is the bottom line: After all is said and done, what will I be paying? The formula is simple: COA - GIFT AID = EFC
Are you ready for your college application decisions?
Virtually all colleges that have not done so already will be releasing their regular decision application outcomes in the coming weeks, with regular decision applicants receiving feedback by the first week of April.
Some colleges have offered me more aid than others. Can I ask for more money? How does “yield” play into this?
This post describes how to negotiate your award package in whatever form it comes (need-based or not).