College Decision Types
This is the most common college application plan, with deadlines typically falling between January and February.
What is Regular Decision?
This essay should focus on who you are rather than simply listing accomplishments.
What is the personal statement?
True or False: Students can apply to multiple SUNY campuses using one online application.
What is True?
This federal form is required to determine eligibility for grants, loans, and work-study.
What is the FAFSA?
This application plan allows students to apply early and receive an earlier admissions decision without committing to attend.
What is Early Action (EA)?
Colleges often ask students to write these additional essays tailored to their school.
What are supplemental essays?
This CUNY honors program spans multiple campuses across the system rather than existing at just one school, offering a full-tuition scholarship, a laptop, and an "opportunities fund" to top students.
What is Macaulay Honors College?
This compares the true annual cost of attending a college after grants and scholarships are applied.
What is net price?
Students accepted under this application plan must withdraw all other applications and enroll at that college.
What is Early Decision (ED)
This CUNY and SUNY opportunity program — known by different acronyms at each system (SEEK at CUNY, EOP at SUNY) — provides admission, academic support, and financial aid to students who wouldn't otherwise meet standard admission criteria.
What is an Educational Opportunity Program?
This federal aid does not need to be repaid and is awarded to students with exceptional financial need.
What is the Pell Grant?
This application plan allows students to apply early to one private college while limiting or prohibiting early applications to other private institutions, but it is not binding.
What is Restrictive Early Action (REA) or Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA)?
This practice, where a college takes your highest section scores across multiple SAT/ACT sittings and combines them into one best composite, is offered by many (but not all) schools.
What is superscoring?
Colleges may ask applicants to submit this document to verify the courses they are taking during their senior year.
What is a mid-year report (or senior schedule)?
This New York State scholarship covers remaining tuition at SUNY or CUNY schools for eligible in-state students — but recipients must commit to living and working in New York for the same number of years they received the award.
What is the Excelsior Scholarship?
This New York State financial aid program helps eligible residents pay tuition at approved colleges in New York.
What is TAP (Tuition Assistance Program)?
Unlike Regular Decision's fixed deadline, this admission type reviews applications as they arrive and can fill up (and stop admitting) well before the official deadline.
What is rolling admission?
This annual state proclamation, tied to October, triggers fee waivers at SUNY and over 130 other New York institutions during designated "free application" periods.
What is New York State College Application Month?
This financial aid application is required by many private colleges in addition to the FAFSA.
What is the CSS Profile?