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

The special enrollment period is also separate from the current open enrollment period, which ends Jan. 31. —Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026

Both schools will hold open enrollment lotteries not dictated by neighborhood boundaries, the district said in a Friday news release. —Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 16 Jan. 2026

More than 4,000 are enrolled in public schools outside the city, thanks to the state’s open enrollment law. —Alan J. Borsuk, jsonline.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Current Medicare Advantage enrollees now have the option to potentially save money by switching plans during an open enrollment period that lasts through March 31. —Lorie Konish, CNBC, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 2