Universities Weblog

(Source: Skidmore College)So now students face yet another option in the increasingly-complex college admissions game: spring admissions. Many institutions, as this piece points out, admit students but defer them to the following spring semester, and in some cases offer a study-abroad program for the intervening fall.

The logic, from the colleges' standpoint, is simple. Enrollments tend to dip in the spring, given fall graduations and attrition trends. A certain percentage of freshmen arriving for the fall semester won't return for the spring. Anticipating that, colleges offer spring slots to students a year ahead of time in an effort to steady enrollment.

But what's the effect for students? Are they comfortable waiting until spring to begin their college careers? Will they mind being a step behind (assuming they don't exercise other credit-bearing options)? Will their class schedules be confusing, given that many 101 courses are offered in the fall, while 102 courses usually come in the spring? And are neophyte 18-year-olds really ready to study abroad as their first collegiate experience?

Here's a case of institutions operating to serve themselves and their own cash-flow concerns. Students become plug-in solutions. So if your "dream" college admits you with a spring enrollment date, consider other options. You have to wonder if they really want you.

Did you enjoy this article?