"Priority Date/Regular Admission" Deadlines?

Applying to College
1

<p>Alright, so I did some research and noticed that a lot of colleges (on Collegeboard) have a "Regular deadline", and a "Priority Date" deadline. Later on I called the Admissions Office for schools such as Rutgers/Penn State, and they told me that the difference between both would be receiving things such as scholarships/financial aid, and <em>not</em> being considered on a spot-basis admission, meaning the number of seats left wouldn't affect you.</p>

<p>However, I ended up calling Stony Brook, asking about their "Priority Date", which is listed as December 1st, and the operator told me that was only for early action. That's when I started to get really confused, because I was going to get all of my applications materials ready to be handed out by this weekend, since most of my colleges have a "Priority Deadline" of December 1st. What do I do at this point? I've visited the websites of some of these schools, and at times I do get my answer, but for certain schools the operator seems to tell me something else lol.</p>

2

<p>Bump 10 characters.</p>

3

<p>"Priority deadline" for each school means what each school wants it to mean. Apparently it means something different at Rutgers than it does for Stony Brook. It's a college by college thing.</p>

<p>To be absolutely safe, get all your applications out before the Dec. 1 deadline. Applying by the Priority Date can't hurt, but missing it could mean that you miss a scholarship. (Remember that Early Action isn't binding.)</p>