Table of Contents

What is Early Decision?

Early deadlines have been a contentious subject in the past few years as more and more top-ranked universities are filling up larger fractions of their incoming class through early pools, especially Early Decision. Early applicants generally are more interested in the school, and Early Decision admittees are bound to attend, boosting the college’s yield rate significantly. Admission offices know that the ED applicants are often the most competitive and most eager applicants (and oftentimes can pay top dollar to attend because they don’t have to wait to consider multiple financial aid offers), so of course they’re interested in making sure these students attend their school!

Here’s the simplified rundown on Early Decision: when a student applies ED to a college, that student not only applies earlier in the application timeline (generally November), they also essentially sign a binding contract with that college stating that they’ll enroll if accepted. A binding agreement means ED applicants can only apply Early Decision to one college (with an extra Early Decision II option for a different college in case the first doesn't work out—we’ll come back to this soon). This contractual element sets Early Decision apart from Early Action, which, though it often has the same earlier application deadline, is not a binding option and leaves you free to apply EA to as many colleges as you’d like and to commit to whichever acceptance you desire by May 1st.

Types of ED/EA Options

However, that was the simplified rundown. In reality, there are many more subtleties and differences in the exact kinds of Early Decision and Early Action applications that students can opt to send to colleges. To help you understand them more thoroughly, we explain further below:

• Early Decision (ED)/Early Decision 1 (ED I)
  Apply by November, Results by December

  True to its name, Early Decision 1 application deadlines are earlier in the application season, usually in November (unlike normal deadlines, which fall around January). An Early Decision application is a binding agreement: if the college accepts the Early Decision applicant, the student promises to attend that college in the fall, regardless of any other admittances that student may receive. Technically, applicants should withdraw any applications to other colleges if they are able to when they hear back from their ED school (generally in December).

  In other words, Early Decision is a student’s preemptive commitment to a college, so long as the college accepts them in return. A student cannot back out of an Early Decision acceptance simply to attend another college they like better—colleges only release students from their Early Decision binding agreement if the student has a good, serious reason for being unable to attend, e.g. financial reasons. Because of the binding nature of Early Decision, each student can only submit one Early Decision 1 application maximum. Any more than that, and a student will have whatever ED admissions offers they receive rescinded (at the very least).

• Early Decision 2 (ED II)
  Apply by January, Results by February to March

  There is also Early Decision 2, the counterpart to Early Decision 1. As we alluded to before, Early Decision 2 is a second round of Early Decision. Students can submit an ED II application if they were deferred or rejected from their Early Decision 1 school, or if they didn't apply Early Decision to any school at all. Just like ED I, ED II is a binding agreement (you sign a contract that you’ll attend should they accept you). However, Early Decision II is not quite as "early" as its predecessor, with applications usually due January and results coming out a month later. Only some colleges offer an ED II option, mostly private universities and liberal arts colleges. 

  Early Decision 2 largely has the same advantages that Early Decision 1 offers: higher acceptance rates and earlier notification dates (though slightly later than ED I). Students can't apply to the same college for both rounds of Early Decision, but ED II lets students put their strong foot forward for their second favorite, or maybe even a top college whose ED I deadline the student couldn't make in time. Colleges generally don't look at ED II applicants as "lesser" or "less committed" than their ED I counterparts—after all, colleges can't tell whether applicants even applied to a different college ED I, and the binding agreement of an ED II application is a strong indication of commitment! Therefore, ED II provides a strong second option to students who have had their ED I application deferred or rejected, and a strong first option to students who didn’t apply to schools during the ED I round but would now like to promise a desired school their binding agreement.

• Early Action (EA)
  Apply by November, Results by December to February

  Early Action is a popular, more flexible application plan than Early Decision, as Early Action is non-binding. In other words, students are free to apply Early Action to as many colleges as they'd like! The only aspect that differentiates Early Action from Regular Decision is the timing of the deadline; similar to Early Decision, most Early Action deadlines land around early November. Because Early Action lacks the binding aspect of Early Decision, EA doesn’t offer quite the same college admissions advantages to students. However, students who apply EA will hear back from colleges earlier as well, generally around December, which can help students get an early start in figuring out their admissions prospects and planning the latter part of their senior year accordingly.

• Restricted/Restrictive Early Action (REA)
  Apply by November, Results by December

  This one is a bit more niche. Restricted Early Action, or REA, is similar to Early Action in that it is also non-binding; if a college accepts your Restricted Early Action application, you are not automatically required to attend. However, Restricted Early Action is sometimes also called “Single-Choice Early Action”, and for good reason. While REA is non-binding, applying REA does mean that students cannot apply early (ED or EA) to any other private school, meaning that applying REA is mutually exclusive with applying ED I. (Students can, however, apply early to a public school or a foreign institution, provided those other applications are non-binding as well.)

  [ In this way, REA allows students to demonstrate exclusive interest to their top-choice college while also retaining flexibility in choosing among their college offers. REA applicants thus benefit from higher acceptance rates, similar to those for Early Decision applicants. Even if a student is accepted in the REA round, they have until May to choose whether or not to commit—the same timing as Regular Decision. Because of this, REA is especially useful for students who, before committing, want to first compare and consider the different financial aid packages that colleges may offer in both the REA and Regular Decision round.

What Are the Advantages of ED?

Those are the options. Now, let’s focus on Early Decision 1, as one of the most common early round options, as well as the weightiest option for students. What are the advantages of applying to a college Early Decision?

• Again, it’s undeniable that ED increases your chances of acceptance. 

  Early Decision may seem like an intimidating decision, but it’s been shown to work in the applicant’s favor, even in the Ivy League. Brown University, notably, accepted nearly 16% of its Early Decision applicants into the Class of 2025, compared to its overall Class of 2025 acceptance rate of 5.4%. 

  Early Decision is certainly a powerful tool in the college application process. Colleges view Early Decision applicants more favorably because of the students' demonstrated commitment to their institution—an ED application shows colleges that the student truly wants to attend their school, and that their college is not simply one of many choices but their top choice. Early Decision applications, being binding, also boost colleges' yield rates (or the percentage of admitted students who actually end up attending), which colleges highly value. The idea is that colleges view an Early Decision applicant as truly wanting to attend their institution, rather than simply considering the college as one among many they’re considering, and therefore colleges are more inclined to accept a high-achieving applicant if the applicant has applied to their school Early Decision.

• ED can reduce the stress of applying for colleges. 

  If you're accepted to your preferred college through Early Decision or Early Action, you're free from the rest of college application stress—and months in advance! You won't have to worry about applying to other colleges, meeting submission deadlines, or waiting antsily for application responses. 

• ED gives you more time between application season and your first year in college. 

• These extra months between the day you get accepted to your ED college and your first day as an undergraduate are valuable time. You can finish your senior year strong, of course, or pick up some hobbies, crossing items off your bucket list. You can also do more research into your committed college, looking into campus life and course load, which allows you to better prepare for the transition from high school to your college career. You can plan a campus visit if you haven't already, or you can meet with a current student or alum and get the less-circulated details about your future school. Whereas regular decision applicants would have to split their attention between many potential colleges, you can focus your adjustment period on your one college.

Should I Apply ED? How Do I Decide on My ED School?

Despite the overwhelming advantages, however, Early Decision is not an easy decision, and certainly not one to take lightly. Not every college applicant needs to submit an Early Decision application. Some colleges that may be students' top choices don't offer ED as an option, for one, but more importantly, it is a perfectly sound strategy to only submit Regular Decision applications (maybe with some non-binding EA applications in the mix).

Before you decide to apply Early Decision, whether to get into your dream school or simply to take advantage of the higher acceptance rate, do your research and check yourself against the following criteria:

• You fit the college’s freshman admission profile. 

  Early Decision will certainly bump up your chances of getting in, but it is by no means a miracle worker. Before you decide to apply Early Decision to a college, check the statistics of its past or incoming freshmen—SAT and ACT scores, high school GPA, the works—and see where you place in comparison. Of course, fitting the admissions profile by no means makes or breaks an acceptance, but fundamentally, the profile does serve as a framework of the college’s selectivity. So while you don't necessarily need to nail every bullet point on the list, you should at least be within reach to take full advantage of your Early Decision application. ED may certainly be a boon to your acceptance chances, but you wouldn’t want to waste its benefit on a college with a selectivity you don’t fulfill. Choose your Early Decision school wisely! Use Early Decision as an extra push towards a college that matches your qualifications, rather than as a hopeful trump card for a college beyond your personal stats.

• The Naviance scattergrams from your high school look promising. 

  Naviance is a college readiness information base that many high schools use to view their school’s historical data and help students evaluate their college acceptance odds. The program's scattergrams show the college application history of students to a specific college from your specific high school, every acceptance, denial, and waitlist. These scattergrams are graphed according to each students' GPA and standardized test scores, so you can use Naviance to check how you stand in comparison to other students from your own high school—if your numbers are better than typical accepted applicants from your school, then your chances of getting into that college rise, and ED/EA may be a smart route for you!

• You’re certain of the financial aid the college can offer you. 

  If you apply Early Decision and are accepted, you won’t be able to compare financial aid offers the way you would for regular decision acceptances. Yes, the times don't line up—financial aid packages are typically made available in March, whereas Early Decision results come out at least a month earlier (December for ED I, February for ED II). But ultimately, the binding aspect of Early Decision restricts you from laying out your differing financial aid offers from various colleges and choosing the one that best benefits you. If you apply Early Decision to your dream college and are accepted, but you don't like the financial aid they offer you, unfortunately, you're stuck. 

  (There is one catch. If the financial aid package your Early Decision college offers you actually makes attendance unaffordable, students can opt out of their offer of admission. In fact, this is the only way that a student can get out of an Early Decision binding agreement. However, if a student dislikes the financial aid package because of preference, not actual affordability concerns, they must still attend.)

  Consider your personal financial needs and make sure that your desired college can and will fulfill them before you apply Early Decision there.

• You’re certain that it’s your dream college, whether it's for its programs or its school culture. 

  Ultimately, this is what it all boils down to—given the chance, you would go to this college above all others. Some applicants feel ambivalent or unsure about a college, yet they apply Early Decision simply to leverage their changes somewhere. This is unwise. While Early Decision does have a higher acceptance rate, and while it does, if successful, allow students to finish the college application process months early, the thought process should not be one of all-or-nothing. If there's an ounce of uncertainty in your head, do more research! Are there specific programs or clubs this college offers that you want to take advantage of? Do you really resonate with the college's culture, traditions, and community? How would you fare with the college's location? Don’t apply Early Decision just for the sake of applying Early Decision—since it’s a binding agreement, if you’re accepted, there’s no room for regrets. On the other hand, if you truly want to send an earnest, powerful message to a college that it is your first choice, then Early Decision is the choice for you.

Conclusion

Early Decision, despite its benefits, is not an all-purpose boost to your application; it’s a college application tool to be used wisely. Additionally, while Early Decision is a widely-offered option, many colleges don’t offer it, and each school offers their own application plans and deadlines. Colleges sometimes change the early application options they offer each year, so checking for their most recent application guidelines is a must! 

Do your research, and double-check both your suitability and preference for a college before applying Early Decision. Everyone’s individual circumstances, dream schools, and personal criteria are unique. If you’d like more details about your family’s or your student’s particular situation, please feel free to request a free consultation!