It’s been a challenging year, and you shouldn’t be penalized for needing more time to think about your next steps. That’s why, for students applying for fall 2021, we’ve shifted to rolling admissions for all of our majors (except nursing). With everything going on in the world, we want you to know it’s ok if you need a little more time.

To help you better understand what this means for you, I sat down with Ed Seero, my colleague from Admissions, to lay out all the things the Office of Admissions wanted you to know.

Q: Why did UMass Lowell make this shift to rolling admissions?

A: We heard an overwhelming response from a number of high schools in our recruitment regions that students needed more time. Because of all that’s going on, despite a herculean effort by hard-working college counselors, they are seeing that many students are beginning the college process much later than ever before and also checking things off their application process later than usual (getting letters of recommendations, testing, etc.) and that many are struggling to get what they need.

The sad truth of this is that we’re seeing this happen in many of the communities and schools that need the most help and where students and their families have been the most affected by the pandemic. Providing opportunities and access to everyone is a huge part of our identity at UMass Lowell. Since we’ve seen less applications come in from many of the communities we know were hit hard during the pandemic, we felt that providing folks with the opportunity to continue to apply was the right thing to do. 

Q: When should high school students apply?

A: As soon as they can. We’re accepting applications to all majors that still have space (except nursing), but we can’t be sure how long we’ll continue to have space. We’ll keep the app open as long as we can.

Keep in mind, too, that you can always call our office at 978-934-3931 or send us an email at admissions@uml.edu to get in touch with an admissions counselor if your plans change late in the process.

Q: When can applicants expect a decision?

A: We are reviewing applications constantly and we are sending decisions out once a week. If you haven’t heard a decision from us three weeks after applying, it’s a good idea to check in with us to get an update.

Check this out: Helpful advice for applying to college

Helping you is our first priority, and we believe this shift to rolling admissions will benefit you. As always, we’re here to guide you through the admissions process. Have questions? Shoot us an email at admissions@uml.edu.