Many colleges and universities in the U.S. have very strict admissions deadlines. These deadlines can make the fall of senior year a stressful time for high school students, who must navigate writing essays and requesting recommendations for both early and regular decision deadlines for multiple schools, while also taking a full load of classes and participating in extracurriculars.

However, some colleges, including a number of prestigious institutions, operate under a rolling admissions process. While this may decrease stress levels for students considering these schools, rolling admissions does not extend deadlines indefinitely.

By February, even students looking at schools with rolling deadlines are entering the late period for applications. They may face stiffer competition than they would had they applied earlier, since many slots may already be full.

Although applying late is never ideal, it may be unavoidable in certain scenarios. Here are three situations that justify applying late during rolling admissions, as well as several tips to maximize your chances of acceptance.

[Get additional tips on applying to college.]

1. Your fin ancial situation changes: This scenario can manifest itself in two ways. You may find yourself in a better financial situation than originally anticipated — you may have received an outside scholarship, or perhaps a parent’s salary increased, either from a raise or a new job — and now you wish to apply to schools outside of your original low-cost options. Or, your family finds itself in sudden financial hardship, which prompts you to re-evaluate which colleges you can afford.

2. Your goals shift: During your initial set of college applications, did you create low goals for yourself? Did you apply to colleges accordingly, submitting applications only to those schools where the academic profiles are slightly below what you are capable of achieving?

If you find yourself in this situation, or if you did not fully mature academically until your final year of high school, it cannot hurt to apply late during rolling admissions to a more selective institution.

[Find out what students did in their applications to top national universities.]

3. You lack safety schools: Perhaps the most nerve-wracking situation is the one in which, come February, you realize that you lack a sufficient number of safety schools. A student who has not adequately chosen safety schools runs the risk of receiving no acceptance letter — and thus having to apply to college again one year later.

Applying to one or more additional safety schools is always a wise idea if you are deeply concerned about your admissions chances. If you apply late during the rolling admissions period, there are several steps that you can take to increase your chances of success.

First, update your personal statement to account for the delay in your application, explaining why you are applying to that institution later than might normally be expected.

In addition, you should convey a strong interest in a prospective degree program that the school offers and describe how it aligns with your goals. This can demonstrate that you are applying late to the school largely due to what the school has to offer, rather than for its deadline.

[Discover what makes a strong college essay.]

Finally, since a late rolling admissions application would occur during the second semester of your senior year, make sure your essay discusses how a difficult class you took, perhaps a dual-credit course through a local college, proves your initiative and self-motivation.

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3 Times When Applying Late to College Makes Sense originally appeared on usnews.com