• College Counseling Planning Guide

    Understanding Admissions

    • Early Decision: Students apply in early fall of their senior year and are notified by the school in early to mid-December. If the student is accepted, a commitment-to-attend is required along with the withdrawal of other college applications. A student can only apply to one college under Early Decision, as this is a binding agreement to attend. Not all schools have Early Decision plans. The most common ED deadlines are November 1st, 15th, and December 1st.

    • Early Action: Similar to the early decision in that the application process is done earlier in the year, but the student is not committed to attend the institution if accepted. Students can apply to multiple colleges under Early Action. Most common EA deadlines are November 1st, 15th, and December 1st

    • Single-Choice Early Action: Used by only a few selective schools. You can only apply to one college early, but the decision is not binding (i.e. Harvard).

    • Restrictive Early Action: Used by only a few schools. This is non-binding, but these schools do not want the student to apply early decision anywhere else. 

    • Regular Decision: Students apply to the college a bit later in the year with deadlines ranging from December 1st to March 1st. Students generally hear back from the schools in early April.

    • Rolling Admission: A procedure by which admissions decisions are made on a continuous basis throughout the year. Students are notified within about 3-4 weeks after receipt of the completed application. Applying earlier in the year is best under this application type.

    College Visits

    Each year, college admissions representatives visit Ardsley High School between September and November in the College and Career Center (CCC). Seniors are encouraged to meet admissions representatives when possible. Students must register for these visits beforehand in the Guidance Office. 

    NCAA – PowerPoint Link

    Financial Aid

    Many opportunities for financial aid are available online. You can search for financial aid information and look for scholarships that may be available to you based on factors such as special talent, community service, religion/ethnic/racial background, etc. Also, be sure to check each college’s financial aid website for a financial aid calculator specific to that college, as well as school-specific scholarship opportunities.

Helpful Resources