Admissions Programs for Undergraduate Students

Early Action

Students applying as first-year degree-seeking students who wish to learn of their admission decision by late December may apply by November 1 under the Early Action program. Applicants admitted under Early Action have until May 1 to pay an acceptance fee and do not have to make a binding commitment to attend the university.

Some Early Action candidates will be deferred until the admissions office has reviewed all first-year applicants for fall admission. Deferred applications are automatically reviewed again and decisions are generally released by late February/early March. Early Action candidates may also be denied admission and do not have the option of reapplying for entry as a regular decision candidate. Early Action applicants may also be offered the wait list, spring semester (Spring Start) admission or an invitation to the Catamount Advance program after review is complete in late February/early March.

Early Decision

Students applying as first-year degree-seeking students who wish to learn of their admission decision by early December may apply by November 1 under the binding Early Decision program. Applicants admitted under Early Decision will be required to pay their acceptance fee three weeks from the time of admission (date listed in the admissions letter).

Some Early Decision candidates will be deferred until the admissions office has reviewed all first-year applicants for fall admission. Deferred applications are released from a binding decision, automatically reviewed again and decisions are generally released by late February/early March. Early Decision candidates may also be denied admission and do not have the option of reapplying for entry as a regular decision candidate. Early Decision applicants may also be offered the wait list, spring semester (Spring Start) admission or an invitation to the Catamount Advance program after review is complete in late February/early March.

Regular Decision

Students may apply as first-year degree-seeking students by January 15 for consideration for fall semester entrance. Students who complete their application for admission will be notified of an admissions decision by late February/early March. Regular decision applicants who are not admitted into the fall semester may be denied admission, offered the waitlist, spring semester (Spring Start) admission, or an invitation to the Catamount Advance program.

Spring Admission for Early Action, Early Decision or Regular Decision applicants (Spring Start) 

Selected students who apply for fall admission may be offered admission beginning in the spring semester. Admission offers for spring admission are subject to college or school space availability. Students offered spring admission will be asked to confirm their intention to enroll by May 1. Spring Start students may enroll in college coursework in the fall, but may not enroll as a matriculated student elsewhere. Students who applied for fall and were offered Spring Start may not defer their admission to a future semester; they will need to reapply.

Catamount Advance Program

Selected students who apply for fall admission may be offered admission into the Catamount Advance program. The Catamount Advance program allows students in select majors to start at UVM in the fall semester as a non-degree student. Catamount Advance students take pre-selected courses in the fall and spring semesters, live together in a designated residential space, and receive special support from a Catamount Advance-specific professional advisor. Upon successful completion of this program (by maintaining a 2.8 GPA), students are offered full admission as a Sophomore for the following fall. Students invited to the Catamount Advance program will be asked to confirm their intention to enroll by May 1 (students are not able to defer their admission). Financial aid is not available for the Catamount Advance program but students are eligible for financial aid and scholarships when enrolled for Sophomore year.

New England Regional Tuition Break Program

The University of Vermont participates with the other public two-and four-year institutions of higher education in the six New England states in the New England Board of Higher Education’s (NEBHE) Tuition Break Program, an option aimed at increasing educational opportunities for the region’s students. All approved programs can be accessed from the New England Board of Higher Education website.

New England resident students enrolling in an approved program are charged 175% of in-state tuition.

For a full listing of eligible UVM programs and policies, visit the New England Board of Higher Education website.