Prospective Students

APP holds multiple programs throughout the year for prospective students to introduce them to
FLP is an opportunity for the top percentage of newly admitted  students to come for a free week of leadership and critical thinking classes. It is a chance for students that have not yet decided on the University they will attend to experience life at 
The purpose of the APP Bridge Program is to give students that could not enroll in a full APP term the opportunity to enroll at  and improve their English before the next term of APP begins. In the fall term, the Bridge Program is made up primarily of students who are admitted to APP’s full Spring term but want to work on their English skills in the meantime. The students in the APP Bridge Program attend class five hours a day, five days a week, for five weeks. 

If you’re in high school, you’ve likely heard the term “prospective student” used before in relation to colleges and applications. But what is a prospective student exactly? Is it someone who is applying to college? Or is it someone who’s already been accepted to a particular college? (Or is it both?)

Read on for an in-depth look at the prospective student meaning and for helpful tips on what you can do as a prospective student yourself.

What’s the prospective student meaning? It’s simple really: a prospective student is anyone who is considering attending a specific college or university.

The term “prospective student” most often refers to high school students who are in the process of applying to college or who have been accepted but haven’t made their final decision on whether to go just yet; however, the term can also refer to the following:

  • Adults who want to go back and get their undergraduate degree
  • College students or adults applying to graduate school
  • Students looking to transfer from a different college
  • Juniors in high school or younger who are starting their college search early

Basically, the “student” part of “prospective student” doesn’t mean that you have to be a student right now—just that you might become a student (whether undergrad or graduate) at a particular school.

You are considered a prospective student for a school as soon as you express interest in attending it, even if you haven’t officially applied or don’t plan on applying for a while. You’re also considered a prospective student all the way up until you accept (or decline) your offer of enrollment (assuming you’ve been admitted to that school).

For example, Lila is a high school senior who is interested in applying to Brown, the University of Chicago, and Boston University. Simply because of her interest in these three schools, she would already be called a prospective student by each of them, even if she hasn’t applied yet.

Now, say Lila goes ahead and applies to these three schools. After a few months, she finds out that she’s been rejected from UChicago and accepted at both Brown and Boston U. In this case, she’d no longer be considered a prospective student at UChicago, as there’s no way for her to enroll now that she’s been rejected; however, she would still be a prospective student at Brown and Boston U because she can choose to enroll at either school.