Will a college accept my transcript after the application deadline?

Ask them. How can you expect us to know? It's up to them, not us.

If only your transcript is missing, and all the other paperwork has been submitted, there is a good chance that your file will be put on "hold" until the transcripts arrive, assuming the "lateness" is relatively short. College admissions committees realize that applicants have no control over the clerical staff members who actually send out transcripts, so in many cases, the rules are a little flexible. Extremely competitive colleges can afford to be strict and uncompromising, but even admissions committee members with no need to "make exceptions" are aware of situations which can legitimately prevent a deadline from being met, despite an applicant's best effort. While only the committee members themselves can answer your question with any certainty, it is reasonable to expect a small amount of leeway. Regarding the "essay," use the application instructions as your guide, or, if you positively cannot find an indication, your choice is to call the admissions office and ask, or, alternately, write an essay as a form of "insurance." If the essay was required, you will have done it, and there will be no problem. If it wasn't needed, the committee will simply ignore it. The members have no desire to read any more essays than they absolutely must

Call the admissions office. Often there are "soft" deadlines that they know some people will fail to meet.