Students’ Rights and Responsibilities in the College Admission Process

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Colleges Must Provide

General

• The cost of attending an institution, including tuition, books and supplies, housing, and related costs and fees
• Requirements and procedures for withdrawing from an institution, including refund policies
• Names of associations that accredit, approve, or license the institution
• Special facilities and services for disabled students

Academics

• The academic program of the institution, including degrees, programs of study, and facilities
• A list of faculty and other instruction personnel
• A report on completion or graduation rates at the college
• At schools that typically prepare students for transfer to a four-year college, such as community colleges, information about the transfer-out rate

Financial Aid

• The types of financial aid, including federal, state, and local government, need-based and non-need-based, and private scholarships and awards
• The methods by which a school determines eligibility for financial aid; how and when the aid is distributed
• Terms and conditions of campus employment, if financial aid is delivered through a work-study aid program

For more information about student financial aid, visit www.studentaid.gov.

Campus Security

• Procedures and policies for reporting crimes and emergencies on campus, as well as the system of adjudication
• The number and types of crime reported on and around campus
• The school’s drug offense policy, as well as descriptions of the school’s drug awareness and drug use prevention programs

To compare campus crime statistics for different colleges, visit http://ope.ed.gov/security.

Students’ Rights in the College Admissions Process

Before You Apply

• You have the right to receive factual and comprehensive information from colleges and universities about their admission, financial costs, aid opportunities, practices and packaging policies, and housing policies.  If you consider applying under an early admission plan, you have the right to complete information from the college about its process and policies.
• You have the right to be free from high-pressure sales tactics.

When You Are Offered Admission

• You have the right to wait until May 1 to respond to an offer of admission and/or financial aid.
• Colleges that request commitments to offers of admission and/or financial assistance prior to May 1 must clearly offer you the opportunity to request (in writing) an extension until May 1. They must grant you this extension and your request may not jeopardize your status for admission and/or financial aid.
• Some students choose to attend a community college for 1 or 2 years, and then transfer to a 4-year school. Tuition costs are substantially lower at community colleges than at 4-year institutions.
• Candidates admitted under early decision programs are a recognized exception to the May 1 deadline.

If You Are Placed on a Wait/Alternate List

• The letter that notifies you of that placement should provide a history that describes the number of students on the waitlist, the number offered admission, and the availability of financial aid and housing.
• Colleges may require neither a deposit nor a written commitment as a condition of remaining on a waitlist.
• Colleges are expected to notify you of the resolution of your waitlist status by August 1 at the latest.

Students’ Responsibilities in the College Admissions Process

Before You Apply