The college admissions process has seen dramatic changes in recent years. Franklin College has announced two changes to its application process, both designed to help prospective students as they apply for college enrollment.

First, the college has adopted an early decision with deposit option for applicants who apply by Nov. 15, 2021. Notification of admission and details about financial aid awards will be provided by Dec. 15, 2021. Students who apply and are admitted under the early decision policy must agree to attend the college and withdraw their applications from other institutions. Students who apply by Nov. 15, 2021, may still apply under the regular decision admission plan if they so choose.

“We highly recommend that applicants who rank Franklin as their top choice apply under the early decision policy,” said Thanda Maceo, vice president for strategic enrollment management and marketing. “It allows them to receive early notification of their admission status and they receive priority housing, class registration and the possibility of additional merit aid. They will also be more likely to be admitted since the pool of applicants tends to be smaller early in the admissions cycle as opposed to later.”

The college also has adopted a test-optional policy allowing each applicant to decide upon submitting an SAT or ACT test score with their application. Students applying to the college, with or without including a standardized test score, will be assessed holistically. Factors such as high school GPA, class rank, written essays, extracurricular involvement, leadership experience and demonstrated interest in the college through campus visits all play into the college’s decision on admission. Applying under the test-optional policy does not affect the merit aid awarded to the student.

“We adopted a conditional test-optional policy in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and we determined we do not necessarily need standardized test scores to make sound admissions decisions,” said Maceo. “We have also learned the tests sometimes serve as a significant burden to students and their families who may not have the resources for test taking or test preparation. We believe this policy will increase access to the transformative education at Franklin for many, including the underrepresented.”

For more information about the college’s admission process, visit FranklinCollege.edu/admissions or call (317) 738-8075.

For more information, contact the Office of Communications at (317) 738-8185.

POSTED Jul 15, 2021