open enrollment

noun

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of open enrollment

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

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

See open enrollment defined for English-language learners

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 of open enrollment from the Web

School officials have said the high-performing open enrollment charter school, now in its fifth year, has a wait list of more than 1,000 students and that additional classrooms are needed.

— littice bacon-blood, NOLA.com, "Kenner charter school's support arm exempt from state bid law, AG opines," 6 Apr. 2018
That may not be too surprising given that the Trump administration decided to cut off millions of dollars meant to promote the federal Obamacare open enrollment period.

— sy mukherjee, Fortune, "Trump Declared Obamacare 'Dead.' Nearly 12 Million Americans Signed Up for It This Year," 4 Apr. 2018
The open enrollment period for 2018 coverage extended from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 of last year.

— stephanie armour, WSJ, "Nearly 12 Million People Enrolled in Health Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act," 3 Apr. 2018
The two Ramona golf clubs offer open enrollment for young players and their families.

— Ramona Sentinel, "Sports Briefs," 19 Mar. 2018
In many states, including Virginia, local legal-aid societies, community health centers and other groups are on hand to help sort out application glitches even though the open enrollment period has ended.

— michelle andrews, Washington Post, "After Polyps Are Detected, Patients May No Longer Qualify For Free Colonoscopies," 30 Jan. 2018
The recent decline followed a shorter open enrollment period for the insurance plans that ran from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15, or half as long as in previous years.

— jc reindl, Detroit Free Press, "Obamacare enrollment falls 9% in Michigan amid nationwide slip," 17 Jan. 2018
That number includes those who enrolled during the open enrollment period from Nov. 1-Dec.

— author: naomi klouda, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska gets more money than expected under federal reinsurance program," 15 Feb. 2018
The high school would remain open enrollment to students from across the district and would still likely offer transportation to all its students.

— shelby webb, Houston Chronicle, "Houston ISD proposes drastic changes to school funding, magnet programs," 20 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'open enrollment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of open enrollment

1964

OPEN ENROLLMENT Defined for English Language Learners

open enrollment

noun

Definition of open enrollment for English Language Learners

: a policy or process by which parents may send their children to a different public school than the one in their own community
: a period of time during which you can join something as a member or participant : a period of time during which you can enroll in something

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open enrollment

Definition of open enrollment

Examples of open enrollment in a Sentence

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OPEN ENROLLMENT Defined for English Language Learners

open enrollment

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