The present invention supplies a solvent to the front surface of a substrate while rotating the substrate. Subsequently, the substrate is acceleratingly rotated to a first number of rotations, and a resist solution is supplied to a central portion of the substrate during the accelerating rotation and the rotation at the first number of rotations. Thereafter, the substrate is deceleratingly rotated to a second number of rotations, and after the number of rotations of the substrate reaches the second number of rotations, the resist solution is discharged to the substrate. The substrate is then acceleratingly rotated to a third number of rotations higher than the second number of rotations so that the substrate is rotated at the third number of rotations. According to the present invention, in application of the resist solution by spin coating, the consumption of the resist solution can be suppressed, and a high in-plane uniformity can be obtained for the film thickness of the resist film.