Application instructions make more sense once the vocabulary is clear. This glossary covers decision plans, forms, decisions and the terms that matter most to returning adults.

College applications come with a vocabulary of their own, and the instructions rarely stop to define it. Binding plans, deferrals and aid forms all carry specific meanings that affect what you owe a college and when. This glossary defines the terms you are most likely to encounter as a first-time or returning applicant in the United States. When a school’s policy is still unclear after you read its materials, ask the admissions office direct questions and get the answers in writing.

Deadline and decision plans

Most of the acronyms describe two things: when you apply and what you promise the college if you are admitted. Read each school’s own definition carefully, because the same label can carry slightly different rules from one campus to the next.

Early Decision (ED). A binding plan in which you apply to one first-choice college, usually in November, and hear back by December. If you are admitted, you agree to enroll and must withdraw all other applications. You may apply early decision to only one college. Because you commit before seeing aid offers from other schools, ED has drawn criticism for putting applicants from lower-income families at a disadvantage, since they cannot compare packages. Selective colleges often admit a noticeably larger share of early decision applicants than regular decision applicants, sometimes at two or three times the rate.

Early Action (EA). A nonbinding early plan. You apply early, usually hear a decision in December or January, and are not obligated to attend. You can typically apply to more than one EA school and still submit regular decision applications elsewhere.

Single-Choice Early Action or Restrictive Early Action (SCEA/REA). A nonbinding plan with a restriction: you may apply early to only one private college under it, though early action at public schools is still allowed. You cannot apply EA or ED to other colleges until you hear back from the restrictive school, and you may still apply regular decision anywhere.

Early Decision II (ED II). Early decision with later deadlines. The commitment is the same as ED I: if admitted, you enroll. Some applicants use it after a denial in the first ED round or after missing the earlier cutoff.

Regular Decision (RD). The most common route. Deadlines often fall in January, February or March, with decisions released in March or April. It is nonbinding, which leaves time to compare offers side by side.

Rolling Admission. Under a rolling policy, a college reviews applications as they arrive and sends decisions within weeks rather than on a single notification date. Applying early in the window generally protects your odds on space and aid. Our explainer on how rolling admissions works covers the timing details in more depth.

Candidates’ Reply Date (May 1). The common date by which admitted applicants must commit, usually with a deposit. The deadline exists so every admitted student has time to weigh each offer of admission and its aid package side by side before choosing.

Adviser’s tip: Before choosing a binding plan, ask what happens if the financial aid offer falls short of what your family can pay. Students can generally break an early decision agreement only when financial need is not met, so confirm the school’s exact policy in writing before you apply.

Application materials and forms

Common Application (Common App). A standardized application accepted by more than 900 colleges and universities, which lets you apply to several schools using one form.

SAT and ACT. Standardized tests that colleges use as one tool to evaluate applicants. Many schools have made these exams optional, so check each college’s current policy rather than assuming scores are required.

Grade Point Average (GPA). A measure of how well you performed in your coursework, most often expressed on a 4.0 scale. It averages the grades you earned across your classes, and some colleges weigh it heavily when reviewing applications.

FAFSA. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Colleges and states rely on this form to award aid, to gauge how much assistance you need and to set your expected family contribution.

CSS Profile. A more detailed financial aid application that some private colleges and scholarship programs use to hand out their own, non-federal money. It usually supplements the FAFSA rather than replacing it.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The amount your family is expected to contribute toward your college education, established through the FAFSA. The figure varies with each college’s tuition and costs.

Decisions you can receive

Deferred. The college has postponed its decision and will review your application again with the regular decision pool. Deferrals occur in the early rounds, and a deferred application can later be waitlisted during the regular period. If you are deferred, you are free to apply to other schools under regular decision with no obligation to the deferring college.

Waitlisted. Neither an acceptance nor a rejection. You meet the admission criteria, but the offer is on hold because of space availability. If spots open in the incoming class, waitlisted students may be offered admission, usually after May 1. Early decision rounds do not produce waitlists; outcomes there are acceptance, rejection or deferral.

Numbers and statuses you might see

Acceptance Rate. The percentage of applicants a college admits. It describes the school’s overall selectivity, not your individual chances at that college.

Financial Aid Package. The mix of grants, scholarships, loans and work-study a college offers you to cover your demonstrated eligibility for aid. The mix matters, because the package can include loans alongside grants and scholarships, and those carry very different obligations.

Terms that matter most for returning adults

Adults returning to school run into a second layer of vocabulary about credits and institutional quality. Two of our guides cover that ground in detail: transferring college credits explains how to keep as many as possible when you change schools, and credit for prior learning covers exams, military training and portfolios that can convert experience into credit.

Open Admission. A policy under which students and adults with a high school diploma or GED are admitted without regard to traditional qualifications. Placement into classes and programs is determined by educational assessments instead.

Articulation Agreement. A formal arrangement between two colleges that lets a transfer student move from one school to the other without repeating or losing credit for completed coursework. If you plan to start at a two-year college and finish a bachelor’s elsewhere, ask whether such an agreement exists before you enroll.

Accreditation. Independent confirmation from an accrediting body that a college meets set standards for its academic programs, student services and facilities. Regional and national accrediting associations both exist, and verifying accreditation is one of the first things to do about any school you are considering.

Readers ask

What is the difference between early action and early decision?

Early decision is binding: if you are admitted, you must enroll and withdraw all other applications. Early action is nonbinding, so you get an early answer but can compare offers until May 1.

What does it mean to be deferred?

The college postponed its decision and will review your application again with the regular decision pool. You have not been accepted or denied, and you are free to apply to other schools.

Can you apply to more than one college early decision?

No. Early decision is limited to one college, because you are committing to attend if admitted. Early action, by contrast, usually lets you apply to several schools at once.

Do I have to decide where to enroll by May 1?

May 1 is the common reply date, so admitted applicants under nonbinding plans can compare offers until then. Binding early decision commitments and waitlist offers, which usually come after May 1, work differently.

Admission rules, accreditation status and licensing requirements change. This guide is general information for students in the U.S.; confirm the details with the school, its accreditor or your state licensing board before you enroll.