I will be applying Early Action to a number of schools, with most having either a October 15 or November 1 deadline. Most of them also stated that the last chance to take the ACT is October 22, which begs the question: will they actually accept it if sent past the deadline? I’m just slightly confused because they didn’t explicitly state it, though it may be implied to a certain extent.
Here’s the list of schools I am applying Early Action to:
UNC-CH
NC State
University of Miami
Rhodes College
Drexel
Mercer
"which begs the question: will they actually accept it if sent past the deadline? "
Why? Do you think if they have had any issues in the past, wouldn’t they simply move the deadline to Sept? They’re not there to confuse you or cause more work for themselves. Believe them.
If you are unsure contact the school and ask directly.
It is often made pretty clear on the admissions website. For example I looked up one of your schools, Drexel and it said that by Nov. 1 Applications and all supporting documents are due; decisions released in mid-December. It seems pretty clear to me that everything needs to be in by Nov. 1 so the Oct.22 ACT won’t get there in time.
Some colleges make an exception to the “supporting documents” rule for standardized tests that are administered before the deadline, but not all. Most colleges state their policy very specifically- if it is not clear you can email the school.
Check the colleges’ websites for last test accepted. If it says October ACT then it can arrive after the app deadline. That is true for most colleges with EA and ED, and many of them even accept the Nov SAT. There are some that require all scores to be in their hands by the app deadline and those specifically tell you that on their sites.