Applying to college is a long and arduous process and the competition for top schools is growing ever fiercer. Nowadays, it’s no longer enough to have good grades and be “well-rounded.” To get in, you have to set yourself apart from the crowd and not only show what the school can do for you, but what you can do for it.
Typically, colleges require one to several essays, letters of recommendation, a high school transcript, and ACT/SAT scores. Many schools now participate in the Common App, though many others require a unique application.
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Tips for Applying to College
As you start to put together your application, here are some things to keep in mind.
Be Yourself
Your unique background is your greatest asset when applying to colleges. You may think you have an idea of what the admissions committee wants to hear, but whatever it is, don’t cater to it. It is much better to be genuine and true to yourself.
Take challenging courses and do well in them
Though more for underclassmen, this tip is still important. Top universities consider not only the general grades earned but also the difficult levels of the courses. A 4.0 in only regular-level classes is less impressive than a 3.8 in mostly AP classes. It not only shows academic talent, but also that you won’t shy away from a challenge.
Do well on standardized tests
The key to doing well on the SAT or ACT is dedicating enough time to studying and targeting your weaknesses. Take practice tests, use prep textbooks, take a class, or work with a coach. Though there are more schools transitioning to a test-blind admissions system–including the UCs–most still require and factor in standardized test scores.
Check out the Best Free Resources to Prepare for the ACT and SAT.
Write a cohesive and compelling personal statement essay
By the time it actually comes to prepare and submit your application, a lot of it will be out of your hands. You have already completed the majority of your classes, taken the standardized tests, and built the relationships with teachers/mentors that will translate into letters of rec.
The essays, however, are one area where you have complete control. If you have a variety of prompts to choose from, pick the one that will best showcase your strengths and achievements. Start writing early so that you’ll have plenty of time to brainstorm your potential topics, write multiple drafts, and receive feedback. Your essays should tell one cohesive and persuasive story. Make sure that you don’t go on tangents and that it all builds smoothly toward a central idea.
Read more tips at How to Write an Amazing College Essay: Three Tips for Success.
Here are several other free resources on the college application process:
- What Looks Good on College Applications? 6 Tips to Make Your Application Stand Out
- What Really Matters When Preparing for College
- How to Write a College Application Resume
- The Top 40 College Scholarships
To give your candidacy the greatest chance of success, work with a Leland college admissions coach. They’ll provide you with personalized, one-on-one guidance for any part of the application that you’d like help with–from essays, to overall application strategy, to resumes, scholarship applications, and much more. Here are several of our highest-rated college admissions coaches.
Coaches can make all the difference in pushing your application across the line. Read A Great Admissions Coach Can Be Life-Changing–Here’s How for one applicant’s story. Browse all of our world-class, vetted, college admissions coaches here.
The Traditional College Application Timeline
Though deadlines do vary, the majority of Regular Decision ones fall between January 1 and 15 of the potential year of matriculation. In addition to this, many schools now offer Early Action or Early Decision deadlines that allow students to hear back from the admissions office earlier. They may also have a higher likelihood of admission because fewer spots in the class have been claimed.
Typically, applying to college will adhere to the following rough timeline:
Junior Year: Fall
- Take AP Classes
- Cultivate relationships with teachers for letters of recommendation
- Participate and take leadership roles in extracurricular activities
Junior Year: Winter
- Take the ACT/SAT
- Take AP exams
Summer Between Junior and Senior Years
- Retake the ACT/SAT if necessary
- Begin brainstorming college essay topics and complete a rough first draft
- Read through different schools’ applications and understand the requirements
- Narrow down the list of schools to apply for
- Request a letter of recommendation from teachers
Senior Year: Fall
- Revise essay drafts, get feedback, and polish
- Request that your test scores be sent to your target schools
- Complete other sections of the application
- Finalize early decision applications
Top Colleges With Late Application Deadlines
Sometimes, plans change or life gets busy and the deadlines come up faster than they should. Thankfully, if the traditional deadline for early and regular decision applications has passed, there are still many schools that will accept your application.
Here are some of the best schools that offer late application deadlines.
Baylor University
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Waco, TX
- Avg. ACT: 27.9
- Avg. SAT: 1258
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 126
- Total Enrollment: 20,709 Students
- Acceptance Rate: 57%
Bradley University
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Peoria, IL
- Middle 50% ACT: 23-28
- Middle 50% SAT: 1090-1260
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 185
- Total Enrollment: 5,900
- Acceptance Rate: 76%
Colorado State University
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Fort Collins, CO
- Middle 50% ACT: 23-29
- Middle 50% SAT: 1070-1280
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 76
- Total Enrollment: 32,908
- Acceptance Rate: 90%
DePaul University
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Avg. ACT: 25
- Avg. SAT: 1185
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 130
- Total Enrollment: 21,670
- Acceptance Rate: 68%
Gonzaga University
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Spokane, WA
- Avg. ACT: 30
- Avg. SAT: 1,321
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 16
- Total Enrollment: 7,295
- Acceptance Rate: 73%
Howard University
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Washington, DC
- Avg. ACT: 24
- Avg. SAT: 1,184
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 87
- Total Enrollment: 9,689
- Acceptance Rate: 35%
Miami University
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Oxford, OH
- Middle 50% ACT: 24-30
- Middle 50% SAT: 1160-1370
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 60
- Total Enrollment: 18,800+
- Acceptance Rate: 89%
Quinnipiac University
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Hamden, CT
- Middle 50% ACT: 23-28
- Avg. SAT: 1178
- # of Degree Programs: 140
- Total Enrollment: 9,800
- Acceptance Rate: 88% (Reports vary from 56-91%)
Temple University
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Philadelphia, PA
- Avg. ACT: 28
- Avg. SAT: 1273
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 160
- Total Enrollment: 37,365
- Acceptance Rate: ~72%
Texas Christian University
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Fort Worth, TX
- Middle 50% ACT: 26-31
- Middle 50% SAT: 1150-1340
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 116
- Total Enrollment: 12,273
- Acceptance Rate: 54-58%
University of Cincinnati
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Cincinnati, OH
- Avg. ACT: 27
- Avg. SAT: 1265
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 116
- Total Enrollment: 48,300
- Acceptance Rate: ~73%
University of Dayton
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Dayton, OH
- Avg. ACT: 26
- Avg. SAT: 1230
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 80
- Total Enrollment: ~12,000
- Acceptance Rate: 81%
University of Maryland–Baltimore County
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Middle 50% ACT: 24-30
- Middle 50% SAT: 1150-1350
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 55
- Total Enrollment: 13,991
- Acceptance Rate: 69%
University of New Hampshire
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Durham, NH
- Avg. ACT: 26
- Avg. SAT: 1190
- # of Degree Programs: 200+
- Total Enrollment: 14,096
- Acceptance Rate: ~80%
University of Oklahoma
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Norman, OK
- Avg. ACT: 26
- Avg. SAT: 1210
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 170
- Total Enrollment: 29,705
- Acceptance Rate: ~80%
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Application Deadline: February 1
- Location: Worcester, MA
- Avg. ACT: 31 (Note: WPI admissions process is test-blind)
- Avg. SAT: 1380
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 34
- Total Enrollment: 6,920
- Acceptance Rate: 59%
University of Kentucky
- Application Deadline: February 15
- Location: Lexington, KY
- Avg. ACT: 26
- Avg. SAT: 1190
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 93
- Total Enrollment: 32,955
- Acceptance Rate: 95%
New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Application Deadline: March 1
- Location: Newark, NJ
- Avg. ACT: 26
- Avg. SAT: 1285
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 52
- Total Enrollment: 12,000
- Acceptance Rate: 66-69%
Creighton University
- Application Deadline: March 15
- Location: Omaha, NE
- Avg. ACT: 27
- Avg. SAT: 1260
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 60
- Total Enrollment: 8,770
- Acceptance Rate: 74-78%
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- Application Deadline: April 1
- Location: Lincoln, NE
- Avg. ACT: 25
- Avg. SAT: 1240
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 150
- Total Enrollment: 23,805
- Acceptance Rate: 78-81%
University of South Florida
- Application Deadline: April 1
- Location: Tampa, FL
- Middle 50% ACT: 27-31
- Middle 50% SAT: 1240-1390
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 180
- Total Enrollment: 44,322 (all campuses)
- Acceptance Rate: 49%
Mercer University
- Application Deadline: April 14
- Location: Macon, GA
- Middle 50% ACT: 23-29
- Middle 50% SAT: 1180-1320
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 130
- Total Enrollment: 9,033
- Acceptance Rate: 72-75%
Clemson University
- Application Deadline: May 1
- Location: Clemson, SC
- Middle 50% ACT: 29-30
- Middle 50% SAT: 1240-1400
- # of Degree Programs: 100
- Total Enrollment: 26,406
- Acceptance Rate: 43%
University of Arizona
- Application Deadline: May 1
- Location: Tucson, AZ
- Avg. ACT: 26
- Avg. SAT: 1265
- # of Degree Programs: 300
- Total Enrollment: 51,134
- Acceptance Rate: 85%
University of Central Florida
- Application Deadline: May 1
- Location: Orlando, FL
- Avg. ACT: 28.3
- Avg. SAT: 1335
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 106
- Total Enrollment: 70,406
- Acceptance Rate: 36-45%
University of Iowa
- Application Deadline: May 1
- Location: Iowa City, IA
- Avg. ACT: 26
- Avg. SAT: 1230
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 200
- Total Enrollment: 31,317
- Acceptance Rate: 83%
University of Kansas
- Application Deadline: May 1
- Location: Lawrence, KS
- Avg. ACT: 26
- Avg. SAT: 1240
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 149
- Total Enrollment: 27,638
- Acceptance Rate: 92%
University of St. Thomas
- Application Deadline: May 1
- Location: St. Paul, MN
- Middle 50% ACT: 24-29
- Midde 50% SAT: 1130-1340
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 100
- Total Enrollment: 9,347
- Acceptance Rate: 77%
Auburn University
- Application Deadline: June 1
- Location: Auburn, AL
- Avg. ACT: 28
- Avg. SAT: 1240
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 150
- Total Enrollment: 31,526
- Acceptance Rate: 70-80%
Oregon State University
- Application Deadline: June 22
- Location: Corvallis, OR
- Avg. ACT: 25
- Avg. SAT: 1195
- # of Undergraduate Degree Programs: 200
- Total Enrollment: 33,193
- Acceptance Rate: 82-89%
