<p>The UF Board of Trustees decided to eliminate the university's early decision admissions program during its meeting Friday morning. </p>
<p>Instead of having three separate deadlines, the new admissions program will feature a single mid-November deadline. </p>
<p>The early decision deadline contractually bound applicants to attend UF if accepted. </p>
<p>In the new program, all applicants will receive word about acceptance in mid-February. </p>
<p>Alfonso said the single deadline would eliminate a lot of misconceptions about the early decision program, such that as applicants had a better chance if they applied early. </p>
<p>He also cited rumors that the requirements were more stringent for certain deadlines than for others. </p>
<p>That wasn't necessarily true, he said. Because fewer applicants were accepted during the early deadline, it was more competitive. </p>
<p>Some early decision applicants might have had a better chance had they applied during the regular admissions deadline, he said. </p>
<p>For the fall 2006 semester, about half of the 4,462 freshman applicants who applied for early decision were accepted, according to UF statistics. </p>
<p>The total number of freshman applicants that were accepted was 7,656, out of 25,935 who applied. </p>
<p>Alfonso said another benefit of the new program is that it would allow students to take the SAT one more time than the previous program allowed. </p>
<p>In an interview after the meeting, UF President Bernie Machen said he only had one concern about the new program. </p>
<p>He said with only one deadline there would be a larger swarm of applications than in previous years. </p>
<p>Though Machen said he thinks the end result will be fine, he's nervous that the influx will strain UF's Office of Admissions. He added that he was worried that a strained staff could result in a delay in sending out acceptance letters. </p>
<p>But Machen said he thinks the change will draw a more diverse student population. </p>
<p>"I think it's going to be good for both the university and the applicants because it will help us pick the best freshman class," Machen said. </p>