I am curious what the benefit is to colleges who offer admission but offer “spring start” or “summer start”. What do they gain from that? I am confused how if a student is academically micelle strong enough to be admitted, why they make them start later (or earlier) and how that benefits anyone. I understand the alternative admission offers like the guaranteed transfers sophomore year, etc. Just curious.
Sometimes it’s about space for lodging. They have room second semester because some students graduate in December, and others go on study abroad trips in the spring.
It’s all about jockeying enrollment so it’s not too full…and not too empty.
And some programs offering spring entry offer something else to do in the fall.
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Many students who are doing a semerster abroad will do it in the spring. (Often easier to tack on travel at the end or even additional classes.)
As a result, most campuses have extra beds on campus that term.
For colleges, offering a spring start or first semester abroad is a way of admitting students at the time beds are available. It is both colleges and students who benefit from this.
Also, while it’s less common, there are some students who prefer a spring start. Way back when, I had friends who started in the spring because of fall nationals in their sports.
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Some people leave before spring semester, thus freeing up dorm space.
Some schools do it because those students’ stats don’t go into the USNWR calculations (that’s how Northeastern climbed the ranks); they can accept someone who is clearly qualified and who might have a test score that is out of line with other parts of the application, etc.
Some may do it to spread out the administration duties; if they have to process 9000 new students, it helps to do some in the spring and summer and the bulk in the fall. Florida schools do it because everyone needs to do at least one summer session and some like to start and get it over with, and it keeps people on the campus in the summer (full dorms, classrooms, dining halls) which keeps staff employed too.
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When all students start in the fall, fall semester has higher enrollment than spring semester because students who graduate one semester early or late typically have one extra fall semester. Also, some students who drop out, flunk out, or transfer away do so after a fall semester.
So having some new students start in the spring can help balance enrollment.
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Interesting I had no idea FL schools required this.
Florida State law requires 9 credits taken in the summer.