For high school seniors, now is the time to begin college applications for fall 2027. Tacoma Public Schools partners with eight schools across Washington to guarantee admission for qualifying students. Even when admission is guaranteed, students still have to complete an application by the school's deadline. 

Early action, priority application, rolling deadlines: What does it all mean?

Early action is generally nonbinding, meaning students can apply early without committing to attend. Early decision generally commits a student to a school. Rolling admissions are made on a continuous basis, rather than a single deadline. 

Several partner schools offer early action, which allows students to apply by an earlier deadline and receive an admission decision sooner. Applying early can also give students early access to school-specific scholarship applications. 

Students should review each college’s application requirements and deadlines, as well as separate deadlines for scholarships and financial aid.

There is a common application that is used by hundreds of colleges in the U.S. This application is convenient because you can send it to multiple eligible schools. There is also a shared application for many community and technical colleges in Washington. 

Guaranteed admissions partner schools and their application deadlines:

• Central Washington University’s has a rolling deadline but prioritizes applications received by January 31 for fall quarter. CWU accepts the common application. Minimum GPA of 3.0 and on track to complete CADRs graduation requirements. 

• Eastern Washington University’s priority application deadline for fall 2027 is Feb. 1. EWU accepts the common application. Minimum GPA of 3.0 and on track to complete CADRs graduation requirements. 

• Evergreen State College’s priority application deadline for fall 2027 is Dec. 1. Evergreen accepts the common application. Minimum GPA of 3.0 and on track to complete CADRs graduation requirements. 

• Pacific Lutheran University has three decision deadlines for fall 2027, Early Action I is Nov. 1, Early Action II is Dec. 1, and Regular Decision is Feb. 1. PLU accepts the common application. Minimum GPA of 3.3, and on track to meet PLU math requirement and graduation requirements. 

• Tacoma Community College accepts applications for each quarter. Enrollment for the fall 2027 opens May 17, 2027. TCC accepts the shared application. All TPS graduating seniors who apply to TCC are guaranteed admission. 

• University of Washington Tacoma’s early action application deadline for fall 2027 is Nov. 15. UWT accepts the common application. Minimum GPA of 2.7 and on track to complete CADRs graduation requirements. 

• Washington State University’s FAFSA priority application deadline for fall 2027 is November 15. General Scholarship Application priority date to be considered for early awarding is January 31. WSU accepts the common application. Minimum GPA of 3.0 and on track to complete CADRs graduation requirements. 

• Western Washington University’s early action application deadline for fall 2027 is Nov. 1. Applicants receive an admission response by December 31 and priority scholarship review. WWU accepts the common application. Minimum GPA of 3.0 and on track to complete CADRs graduation requirements. 

LEARN MORE ABOUT GUARANTEED ADMISSION