In the present invention, a substrate is first rotated at a first rotation speed, and a resist solution is applied to the rotated substrate. Subsequently, the rotation of the substrate is decelerated to a second rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed so that the substrate is rotated at the low speed to smooth the resist solution on the substrate. The rotation of the substrate is then accelerated to a third rotation speed higher than the second rotation speed, and a solvent for the coating solution and/or a dry gas are/is supplied to the resist solution on the substrate. In this event, the solvent gas is supplied to a portion of the resist solution on the substrate thicker than a set thickness, and the dry gas is supplied to a portion of the coating solution on the substrate thinner than the set thickness. This thins the thicker portion of the resist solution and thickens the thinner portion to uniform the resist solution.