For the first time in UF history, prospective students have the option to apply to the university through early action.
Former UF President Ben Sasse announced in March that UF will be adding early action to its admissions process starting with the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. Early action applicants must apply by Nov. 1 to get their non-binding decisions back on Jan. 24.
UF has seen a 46% increase in first-year student applications since 2013, according to UF data. Its first-year student acceptance rate has dropped from about 47% in Fall 2013 to about 25% in Fall 2023.
Donia Richards, a 57-year-old Clermont resident, said her 17-year-old son already applied for early action to UF.
“Two years ago when my daughter was going through the process, UF was the very last decision that we got,” she said. “The earlier you can make a decision to commit to a school, the more settled the family is. It's nice to have the time and not be up against the wall because everybody's got to decide by May 1.”
Before early action was added, potential freshmen had to submit their applications to UF by Nov. 1 to be considered a priority applicant. Applications after the date were reviewed on a “space-available basis” until Mar 1. All decisions came out Feb. 23.
“It was a bottleneck,” said Luciana Mandal, the director of college admissions for At-Home Tutoring Services. “Every single person had to apply by Nov. 1.”
She said she felt like students who weren’t prepared early might miss out on the old UF admissions process.
“The plan now is better because I think that it captures the early birds with the early action,” Mandal said. “Then, the later deadline at least allows for the possibility of students who may not be prepared early or don't have the qualifications early to apply at a later date.”
Regular decision applications to UF are due Jan. 15, and the decisions come out on March 14. Applications after the deadline may be reviewed on a space-available basis, according to the UF admissions website.
Jill Geltner, a counselor at Loften High School in Gainesville, said students who want to spend more time on essays and test scores can wait for the regular deadline rather than applying through early action.
“There's a lot in the application process for UF,” Geltner said. “For seniors, that can be a lot of work.”
Lindsey Brown, the counseling department chair at Eastside High School, said she thinks adding early action was a great idea.
She said she’ll communicate to students that applying by Nov. 1 will enable them to make their decisions earlier.
“We have many students that have chosen UF as their first choice,” Brown said. “By allowing them to apply early action, they will be getting their decision earlier, so the anxiety of having to wait to see if they get in won't be as long.”
Sara Downey is the owner of At-Home Tutoring Services, an educational support firm. She said she thinks it was a strategic move for UF to add early action. She said early action plans will help UF plan for next year’s student population early on, which might help their financial decision-making.
“I think there's a very sound business reason to do that,” she said
During the March 7 UF Board of Trustees meeting, Vice President for Enrollment Management Mary Parker presented slides supporting early action in the admissions process.
UF’s Office of Admissions was unable to respond to The Alligator in time before publication.
Contact Timothy Wang at twang@alligator.org. Follow him on X @timothyw_g.
Timothy Wang is a junior journalism student and the Fall 2024 Santa Fe College Reporter. He was the University Administration reporter for Summer 2024. His hobbies include gaming or reading manga.
