<p>It feels kinda weird posting here, but I figured this is where I'd get the most helpful replies. Basically there's a huge emphasis on fall admissions on CC and very little for kids who might want to start college in the spring for various reasons. And I think because of that, many seniors here ignore this very viable perfectly healthy option. While it's definitely harder to secure a spot, you can focus completely on your final lap of high school while avoiding the added stress of waiting for decisions and whatnot, take or retake the SATs later in the session (May/June/September?) and spend the fall polishing up your application. You have added free time for visiting colleges, more time to seek scholarships, etc. etc, plus I think you'd make more informed decisions as regards college choices without the hype of all your classmates doing the same thing around you.</p>
<p>So I wanted to start a thread listing schools that are open to January admits. I pulled these mostly from the Princeton Review's Best 379 (yup, I'm lazy, I know :D ). Feel free to add any you know!</p>
<p>1) First off, for the top-tier inclined, quite a few of those have some sort of visiting student program that's open for the spring semester as well. However these are mostly for non-residents (like Mount Holyoke's International Guest Student Program), and apart from a possible slight discount on tuition forget about any type of aid. You can enroll at the college as a full-time degree-seeking student following the semester though.</p>
<p>2) Assumption College
3) Bates College
4) Beloit College
5) Bennington College
6) Brandeis University
7) Calvin College
8) Centenary College of Lousiana
9) Clarkson University
10) College of the Atlantic
11) Colorado State University
12) Connecticut College
13) Drew University
14) Florida Southern College
15) Goucher College
16) Green Mountain College
17) The George Washington University
18) Guilford College
19) Hofstra University
20) Illinois Institute of Technology
21) Ithaca College
22) Juniata College
23) Knox College
24) Lake Forest College
25) Le Moyne College
26) Lewis & Clark College
27) Loyola Marymount University
28) Marquette University
29) Miami University, Ohio
30) Muhlenberg College
31) New Jersey Institute of Technology
32) Ohio Wesleyan University
33) Pepperdine University
34) Quinnipiac University
35) Randolph College
36) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
37) Roanoke College
38) Sacred Heart University
39) Saint Louis University
40) Saint Mary's College, CA
41) Seattle University
42) Siena College
43) Simmons College
44) Southern Methodist University
45) St. Mary's College of Maryland
46) Stonehill College
47) Suffolk University
48) Stony Brook University (and the whole SUNY/CUNY system)
49) Syracuse University
50) Texas Christian University
51) Ursinus College
52) Washington & Jefferson College
53) Wheaton College (MA)
54) Willamette University
55) Xavier University (and that of Louisiana too)</p>
<p>Oh, and a bunch of state schools/publics: the Universities of Oklahoma; Scranton; Tulsa; Cincinnati; Colorado - Boulder; Connecticut; Dallas; Dayton; Delaware; Kentucky; Maine; Maryland (Baltimore County); Massachusetts (Amherst); Michigan (Ann Arbor); New Hampshire; North Carolina (Asheville); Puget Sound; Rhode Island; Rochester; San Diego; San Francisco; and Vermont.</p>
<p>Also I'd appreciate it if you post anything you know about the schools I've listed here as regards spring admissions - tips, financial aid, how many spots are open, academic climate, etc. I'd like this to be a great resource thread for people looking for another option :)</p>
<p>Many colleges have spring admissions. BUT there is a caveat. The number of spring admits is lower than fall admits. If you are in need of need based financial aid, very often those spring admits are at the bottom of the food chain in terms of institutional need based funds. </p>
<p>So…aid could be very limited at these schools for spring admits.</p>
<p>Virtually all public universities admit students in terms other than fall.</p>
<p>And…many courses are full year courses that start in the fall. For example…my kid took chemistry, biology and calculus her fall term freshman year. They were full year courses, and one could NOT take the first term of these in the spring semester. If she had started in the spring, she would have needed an additional term at least to graduate…she would have been totally out of sequence for her course offerings starting in the spring term.</p>
This is true. Also, all of those are Catholic, except U.Rochester. Most have at least one third non-Catholic students. So, not being Catholic should not be a problem at any of them.</p>
<p>University of Tulsa is private, too. So is University of Puget Sound (and an excellent school!).</p>
<p>Double check your list. I thought Willamette, for example, only offers Spring admission for transfer students. I just looked and don’t see deadlines for Spring freshmen but maybe it’s just not something they advertise.</p>
<p>Spring admission is certainly an option and I could think of some cases where it would be more ideal in certain situations. Personally, it’s not one I’d have encouraged my own child to take. Generally, the best financial packages are given to Fall applicants. Housing can be a real bear for those who start in the Spring and not all universities can promise housing for even Fall applicants let alone Spring. While I’m sure they do some Spring orientation for new students, they miss that first semester with the bulk of new students… there is a sort of camaraderie of moving into the dorms when everyone is brand new on campus. My own kid appreciated going through the process with her classmates. It’s not all fun and it’s nice to have people to commiserate with. Not to mention graduating with still no idea of where you are going unlike the majority of your classmates. Applying for Spring… yes, lots more time with fewer distractions but I also see a kid rather alone in the process while their friends are off on a new adventure.</p>
<p>Do you mean applicant’s choice to apply to start in the spring, or school’s choice to admit a fall applicant to start in the spring? The latter is becoming more common as a means of load-balancing the enrollment (if everyone starts in the fall, the fall term will be more heavily enrolled due to early or late graduates taking one more fall term than spring term).</p>
<p>@kitty56 @thumper1 @NROTCgrad thanks for the corrections laziness will not kill me :(</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids oh no, I’m beyond applications (after two harrowing years - whew!). Perhaps I should have been clearer in the original post…I meant finding independent funding/loan options. And when I said polish your app I didn’t mean the hyper shenanigans seniors get up to these days - more like time to pull together a strongly coherent file.
I realize I’m speaking to a niche here - largely financially stable students who would not be fazed by the sort of social outcasting @turtletime mentioned. There are kids who aren’t ready for fall but who feel a full gap year would be excessive. Some of them have satisfied fall course requirements through APs/IBs and can as well begin with the spring half of freshman courses. What I’m trying to say is that fall, while the more popular and “normal” option, may not be a particular student’s cup of tea.</p>
<p>That is VERY difficult. There are few independent scholarships of any decent amounts and for more than one year. Private loans would require qualified co-signers and would mean lots of debt.</p>
<p>@xraymancs considering IIT’s scholarship timeline and interview dates, it doesn’t appear that spring admits would qualify.</p>
<p>So - you decide to wait a semester. What will you do with your time after HS? How will you keep your brain engaged in preparation for the rigors of academics? You will be out of synch with the majority of friends who go to college in the fall. They will be having experiences you won’t. Most schools are geared to orienting new students in the fall with many get to know people/campus activities. Hard to find a job when the employer knows you are leaving soon. Unless finances prohibit it doesn’t make sense to delay college for those who are prepared for college. Delaying tests, essays and applications does not make senior year of HS better. Delaying the process does not make it any easier. You will be out of synch with your college bound HS friends. Waiting a few months only means not being over and done with the application process in time to enjoy the spring and summer while friends are around. I would never limit my college choices to those schools who readily accept spring new freshmen admissions. I also think you would chronically feel behind as those who graduated at the same time will have the extra college credits and experiences.</p>
<p>Written as if it were the student making the decision. </p>
laziness will not kill me :(</p>