open enrollment

noun

1

a

chiefly US : the voluntary enrollment of a student in a public school other than the one assigned on the basis of residence

Carnegie Vanguard High would continue to offer open enrollment to students from across the district and would still likely offer transportation to all its students.

—Shelby Webb

b

chiefly US : enrollment on demand as a student in an institution of higher learning irrespective of formal qualifications

Open enrollment, long the hallmark of the community college, may soon be a thing of the past.

—Rick Diguette

2

chiefly US : a period of time during which someone can join something (such as a health insurance plan) as a member or participant : a period of time during which a person can enroll in something

Just one in four people who buy their own insurance or who are uninsured could name the correct deadline (December 15) for open enrollment, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll taken last month.

—Dylan Scott

Examples of open enrollment in a Sentence

Many voters support open enrollment.

the city's open enrollment policy

Employees can sign up for new benefits during open enrollment.

Recent Examples on the Web

People should begin to see insurance rates late this fall, and certainly by Nov. 1, when the ACA’s open enrollment season begins, said Jenkins, the Oklahoma insurance agent. —Julie Appleby, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025

One of our biggest wins at Rose Associates came from partnering closely with our IT team to build and test an AI chatbot that could handle common HR questions about replacing medical cards, understanding 401K matches or checking open enrollment dates. —Jaclyn Pagnotta, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025

According to the exchange’s 2025 open enrollment report, 92,000 of the 110,290 exchange policies active in San Diego County received a subsidy of some amount. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2025

And that price increase will start to hit home in four months, when Covered California’s open enrollment signup period begins for 2026. —Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 2