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

California, District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island have the longest open enrollment period, which runs from November 1, 2025 until January 31, 2026. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025

Enhanced tax credits that have lowered Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace premiums since 2021 are set to expire at the end of this year unless lawmakers pass an extension, a development that could expose more than 20 million people to higher bills as open enrollment approaches. —Ashley Lutz, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2025

The decision will force about 24,000 people to switch insurance carriers and choose a new health plan later this fall when open enrollment begins. —Sarah Volpenhein, jsonline.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Data represents marketplace enrollment activity for the 2025 open enrollment period. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 13 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 2