Grinnell exclusively uses the Common Application, but we do require our Preliminary Application with a student's admission application. The Common Application and our Preliminary Application can be found at the Common App website. We accept either online applications submitted electronically or hard copies of the application submitted through the mail.

To apply to Grinnell College as a first-year student, a high school senior must submit:

• Common Application with personal statement
• Preliminary Application
• Secondary School Report Form with high school transcript
• ACT or New SAT I score report
• letter of recommendation from college counselor
• 2 letters of recommendation from teachers in academic subjects
• $30 application fee (this fee is automatically waived if the student applies online)
• Admission interviews are required for Early Admission and home-school applicants and encouraged (not required) for all applicants

Optional application items include:

• Supplemental materials, such as artwork, pieces of creative writing, and photography slides

Grinnell offers Early Decision and Regular Decision. Early Decision is binding, which means that the student must agree to enroll at Grinnell if admitted through Early Decision. In addition, if a student is admitted to Grinnell Early Decision, then the student must withdraw any other college applications at other institutions. For those students that are unsure of whether Grinnell is their first choice as they complete their college applications, Regular Decision is the best option. Regular Decision is not binding. We offer two rounds of Early Decision (both rounds are binding agreements) and one round of Regular Decision.

Our application review timetable is:

• Early Decision I deadline: November 20
• Early Decision I notification: December 20
• Early Decision II deadline: January 1
• Early Decision II notification: February 1
• Regular Decision deadline: January 20
• Regular Decision notification: April 1

When we review an application, our overall goal is to get to know the applicant as an individual and then we try to assess how that individual could contribute to the Grinnell community. With that goal in mind, we base 50% of our admission decision on an applicant's transcript. We review the academic courseload, the rigor of the student's program, how the student has done in relation to his/her classmates, and the grades earned in his/her classes. We recognize that every secondary school is different, so we review each applicant within the context of his/her high school.

We then base 25% of our admission decision on an applicant's standardized test scores. We accept either the SAT I or ACT. We accept, but do not require, SAT II's.

The final 25% of our admission decision is based on extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, the application essay, and the admission interview if the student has had an interview. Interviews are required for Early Admission or home-schooled applicants and encouraged (not required) for all other applicants. We use the interview as a way to get to know the applicant as a three-dimensional person as opposed to simply reading a two-dimensional application file. We offer interviews on campus in addition to off campus with alumni across the world and country.