240 Colleges That Will Still Let You In

For high school seniors, it's not too late to apply to college.
College application deadlines are long gone for most colleges, but some schools still have openings.

This could be good news for teenagers, who overreached and were rejected by every school on their list or for teens who aren't thrilled about the schools they got into. It could also be a lucky break for teen slackers, who never got around to applying anywhere.

How many college still have openings? At least 226 colleges have spaces for freshmen. Even more schools -- 240 institutions -- are still accepting applications for transfer students from other colleges.

The list of colleges with vacancies is available thanks to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, which compiles the information for its annual Space Availability Survey.

Some of the public universities that are still looking for either qualified freshmen or transfer students or both include University of Arizona, University of Florida, University of Vermont, University of Iowa and Colorado State. Private schools with vacancies include Marquette University, Lewis and Clark College, St. Edward's University, Clarkson University, Drexel University and St. Lawrence University.

I also noticed that four wonderful liberal arts colleges that my son applied to still have openings: Drew University, Linfield College, Willamette University and University of Puget Sound (MA).

When shopping for colleges at the last minute, it's important for latecomers to ask if financial aid is available. According to the survey, only one of the schools has exhausted all its financial aid cash. Also ask if campus housing is still available.

And here's one more piece of advice: act fast. Some of these vacancies aren't going to last.

Lynn O'Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution and she also writes for TheCollegeSolutionBlog. Follow her on Twitter.