You know the steps and you have started your why. Now the dates. In about 15 minutes, you will learn the ways to apply, find where any college lists its deadlines, and build your own calendar.
In this lesson 5 sections
By the end, you should be able to
- 2.1 Tell apart the ways to apply, and say which one is a promise.
- 2.2 Find a college's application and every deadline it sets.
How long it takes: about 15 minutes. Here is what is in it:
- A short question from a student, which you answer first
- Two short sections, 2.1 and 2.2
- Your calendar, the next page of your College Plan
- The checkpoint
Before we teach you anything, try this
Nothing here is graded, and nobody at 24/7 Teach reads it, on purpose. Your answers stay in this browser, so you can try this the way you would if nobody were watching.
Step 1 of 2
Jordan is a fictional student. Read their message.
Subject: Early Decision?
Write your answer to continue.
Compare the two
Your answer
What an experienced counselor would say
Early Decision is a promise to go if they admit you, so use it only for a clear first choice. Before you apply, sit down with your mom and look at what it will cost.
Is your answer close to that?
Step 2 of 2
Which move is best for Jordan?
What about the other options?
- A. Uses a promise on a school Jordan is not sure about.
- B. Breaks the one-school rule of Early Decision.
- C (best answer). Keeps the promise for a true first choice, with the cost checked.
- D. Gives up early options that carry no promise.
How a 24/7 Teach counselor would think about it.
A promise needs a clear first choice
Early Decision can help when a school is truly first. Used on a maybe, it costs the chance to compare offers in the spring. Many agreements let a family out if the aid offer is not enough, but the terms differ by college. Read the agreement with a parent and your counselor before you sign.
Why this matters
Every way to apply comes with its own rules and dates. The rest of this lesson lays them side by side, then helps you put your own dates on a calendar.
Your first answer was: Section 2.1 comes back to Jordan.
2.1 The ways to apply
| Way to apply | What it means | A promise to attend? | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision (ED) | You apply early to your first choice and agree to go if admitted. You withdraw your other applications. | Yes | Apply in the fall; answer by December |
| Early Action (EA) | You apply early and hear early. | No | Apply in the fall; decide by May 1 |
| Restrictive Early Action (REA) | Like Early Action, but the college limits where else you apply early. | No | Apply in the fall; decide by May 1 |
| Regular Decision (RD) | The standard deadline. | No | Apply in the winter; decide by May 1 |
| Rolling admission | The college reads applications as they arrive, until it is full. | No | Apply early for the best chance |
Two dates to know. Most colleges let you decide by May 1, the reply date set by the national association of college counselors (NACAC). Early Decision is the exception: if you are admitted, you accept right away.
Back to Jordan. Early Action would let Jordan apply early to the same college without a promise, if it offers Early Action. Jordan could then compare offers in the spring.
Check yourself: Jordan applies Early Action to three colleges and gets into two in December. Must Jordan say yes now?
No. Early Action is not a promise. Jordan can wait, compare, and decide by May 1.
2.2 Where to find applications and deadlines
- The college's admissions website is the source to trust. It lists each plan's deadline and what the college requires.
- The Common App shows, for each member college, its deadlines, fees and requirements.
- A few colleges use their own application. The University of California system and MIT are two examples. Their pages say how to apply.
One college can have several dates. Early and regular deadlines differ. Financial aid forms and scholarships often have their own dates too. Lesson 11 covers those.
Check yourself: A friend says a college's deadline is January 15. What do you do before you put it on your calendar?
Check the college's own admissions site, and note which plan the date belongs to.
2.3 Your calendar
The checkpoint does not test this section. It is the next page of your College Plan.
Your calendar starts from your graduation year. The course lays out the season you are in, using 24/7 Teach's 2026/27 College Application Timeline:
- 12th grade: your fall of applications, your winter deadlines and May 1.
- 11th grade: the spring of tests and planning, then the summer you start your essay.
- 8th to 10th grade: the year this all starts for you, and what to build before then.
Then add any college you are already thinking about: its name, the way you plan to apply, its deadline, and the link where you found it. Not sure yet? Leave it empty. Lesson 10 builds your full list.
The page then shows your next real date. If you have not added a college yet, it uses a typical early deadline and says so.
Before the checkpoint
The checkpoint has five questions on 2.1 and 2.2. You need 4 of 5 to pass, and you can retake it as often as you like; the answers are shown after each try.
You are ready if you can, from memory:
- say which way to apply is a promise to attend, and what that means;
- explain what changes with Restrictive Early Action;
- say when most colleges want your answer;
- name where to confirm a college's deadline, and why one college can have more than one date.
Sources named in this lesson: NACAC's glossary of college admission terms and its Guide to Ethical Practice, for Early Decision, Early Action, Restrictive Early Action and the May 1 reply date; Common App, for its deadline listings; 24/7 Teach's 2026/27 College Application Timeline, for the seasons. Jordan is fictional. Check the primary source before citing any of these.
What you can do now.
- Tell the ways to apply apart, and say which one is a promise (2.1).
- Find a college's application and its deadlines (2.2).
Where this leads. Lessons 3 to 12 build the rest of your plan: your test plan, your college research, your essay (11th and 12th grade), your list of 12 colleges and how you will pay. They come with the course or with College Counseling.