Admission & Financial Aid

There are two primary advantages to applying as an Early Decision applicant.

First, a higher percentage of students are admitted in Early Decision—as the pool of applicants is smaller than in Regular Decision. If you are confident that Denison is the right fit for you, we encourage you to consider applying as an Early Decision.

Second, you find out if you’ve been admitted sooner! ED applicants typically receive their admission decisions about 1 month after each ED deadline (RD applicants receive decisions in mid-March). The ED1 deadline is November 15 and ED2 deadline is January 15. There is no difference in how applicants are reviewed between the ED1 and ED2 rounds.

Perfection... just kidding.

In evaluating your application to Denison, we take a number of things into consideration about you as an individual. We are seeking students who have demonstrated a seriousness toward their academic life and who, in addition, would bring a variety of interests, characteristics, and personal qualities to our dynamic campus community.

Typically, applicants who are admitted to Denison take challenging courses in their high schools and have done well in those courses. We also consider test scores, if you choose to submit them (see our test optional policy).

Denison’s community is largely characterized as a highly engaged one with many opportunities. As such, we are looking for students who have demonstrated that they are involved in their passions and have taken advantage of the opportunities they’ve been provided thus far. It is important to note: Quality over quantity is valued here. Taking on a high level of involvement in one or two passions is much more impactful than involvement in 100 activities that you simply “show up” for.

Think of this as synonymous to when your crushes passed you notes in elementary school asking you if you liked them (we know, no one passes notes anymore). College admission kind of works the same way. We provide a lot of ways for you to learn more about us and for us to learn more about you. When you engage with us, we get the hint that you might like us. And of course, we want to admit people who like us. Again, there are so many ways to engage: visiting campus, participating in one of our many virtual offerings, completing an admission interview, reading our emails, submitting an arts supplement...the list goes on. And don’t forget, the best way to tell us you like us is to APPLY!

Nope. We have a test-optional admission policy. If you do not submit a test-score, that’s a-okay with us. Our admission committee will simply focus on the other components of your application (transcripts, curriculum rigor, etc.) when evaluating your academic ability and potential.